The Nation Newspaper

Tag: air safety

  • AIB, Nigerian Air Force partner on air safety

    The Nigerian Air Force  (NAF) and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) have unfolded plans to enhance aviation safety.

    They agreed to set up a joint-committee to explore areas of mutual cooperation.

    The deal, according to the Head, Public Affairs of the Bureau, Tunji Oketunbi, was  a fallout of a meeting between the leadership of the two bodies last week in Abuja.

    AIB’s new Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer,  Akin Olateru, visited the Chief of Air Staff (AVM), Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar, where the two bodies examined areas of cooperation, Oketunbi said.

    The Chief of Air Staff,  according to Oketunbi, lauded the role of AIB in promoting safety in the  industry, saying the Air Force would be willing to extend its human and material resources to the bureau, urging its management to identify the needed areas of assistance.

    AVM Abubakar called on the AIB to initiate proactive measures that will mitigate the effects of air accidents.

    He invited AIB to be part of safety evaluation to have independent assessment from an external organisation

    Olateru  praised the Air Force for its  role in  supporting civil aviation and defence of the country.

    He said the importance of a stronger relationship between the two bodies cannot be over emphasised as the Air Force is strategically placed to help during emergencies with its facilities spread across the country.

    He canvassed cooperation in human capital development and emergency response.

    “There are a lot of things the Nigerian Air Force can do to assist the Accident Investigation Bureau in training. We know you don’t joke with  the training of Nigerian Air Force personnel.

    “We need to cooperate with you in developing human capital. We also need a documented emergency response plan in which you can play a very critical role,” Olateru said.

    Working together, he said, will help AIB in fulfilling its mandate of accident investigation and prevention.

    The AIB chief offered the Air Force the opportunity to use the Bureau’s flight laboratory for its incident and accident purposes just as the Chief of Air Staff pledged to post an officer to work in AIB as done to Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and  other agencies.

  • Cleric tasks Nigerians on prayer for air safety

    The Founding President of the African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative, Rev Titus K. Oyeyemi, has called on Nigerians to support the aviation industry with ceaseless prayers for an airspace free of disaster.

    Oyeyemi said this at the 19th Bi-Annual National Prayer for the Safety of Nigeria Airspace, organised by the African Children of Peace Club, ACPC, an affiliate of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative, held at the fellowship hall of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Fellowship hall at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The programme, tagged “riding on His wing”, brought together over 30 children from across Lagos State which was held in NAMA and NCAA on the same day. It featured prayers, thanksgiving service and prophetic ministration. Prayers were made for the president, management of the agencies, workers and other stakeholders in the industry.

    ACPC is a club that seeks to promote proactive peace and nation-building initiatives among children between the ages of 5-12. They have since March 2007 been involved in ceaseless prayers to God for airspace safety in Nigeria.

    According to Oyeyemi, there has been increasing report of air crashes in many parts of the world but God in his infinite mercy has made Nigerian airspace free of disasters.

    Oyeyemi said, “we are most grateful to God for faithfully answering our prayers and keeping Nigeria airspace free from disaster.”

     

     

  • IATA, Nigeria partner on air safety in Africa

    IATA, Nigeria partner on air safety in Africa

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Nigeria plan new measures to enhance air safety in Africa.

    This is in line with decisions reached by African transport ministers in 2012 to improve safety in the continent’s skies.

    Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director-General Captain Muhtar Usman and IATA’s Regional Director, Safety and Flight Operations, Africa and Middle East, Tanja Grobotek, made the promise after a meeting in Abuja last weekend.

    Usman described the endorsement of the African Union’s Abuja Declaration as one of the most significant steps taken to boost safety and development of avaiation on the  continent.

    He said the industry would achieve much if all players contributed to sustain initiatives geared towards improving air safety.

    “Nigeria is committed to supporting its implementation across the sub-Saharan Africa through developing new strategies that will see the recent gains on Africa’s safety record sustained and even improved,” he added.

    Since the Abuja Declaration’s adoption in 2012, Africa’s safety performance, he said, had improved significantly.

    Besides these important and valuable gains, Africa still accounts for the highest accident rate.

    “African safety is moving in the right direction, thanks to the work done by a number of African nations, including Nigeria, who have worked hard to raise awareness of the importance of implementing the Abuja Declaration,” Grobotek said.

    “In 2015, we saw safety on the continent improve compared to the five-year accident rate for both jet and turboprop hull losses. Nevertheless, the challenges of bringing Africa in line with global performance remain,” she explained.

    He continued: ” IATA remains focused on its commitment to actively contribute its expertise and resources to help African nations implement the standards outlined in the Abuja Declaration.

    ‘’One such area is the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a proven tool for raising safety. IATA has worked with a number of airlines in Africa to bring them onto the IOSA registry. Eleven have joined since the Abuja Declaration was signed, which means 31 airlines from sub-Saharan Africa now benefit from this rigorous safety audit.”

    Another issue that was discussed at the meeting was the need for African Governments to accelerate the implementation of ICAO’s safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS), according to the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP).

    The NCAA reaffirmed its commitment to improve on the effective implementation of the SARPS by the end of the year. As at the end of January, only 21 African states had accomplished at least 60 per cent  of implementation of the SARPS.

  • Nigeria’s air safety has improved – Bureau

    Nigeria’s air safety has improved – Bureau

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Thursday said air safety had improved in the country in the last 10 years.

    The bureau’s spokesman, Mr Tunji Oketunmbi, said this during an interactive session with aviation correspondents in
    Lagos.

    Oketunmbi said that about 63 per cent of the bureau’s safety recommendations had been closed in the past 15 years while 14 others were partially closed.

    “Right now, a lot of safety recommendations have been implemented while others have been partially implemented.

    “Since Year 2,000, we have issued 158 safety recommendations and 63 per cent of them have been closed; 14 per cent partially closed and 23 per cent still open.

    “That is the current status of implementation of our safety recommendations; it is very ingenious for anybody to continue to use a data of one year or two years ago to talk about the current status,’’ Oketunmbi said.

    According to him, the AIB has no statutory powers to enforce compliance on its recommendations.

    He, however, said that the bureau has the mandate to ensure a safety monitoring exercise to confirm compliance with such recommendations.

    He said that the bureau would continue to carry out its investigative functions toward ensuring the safety of Nigeria’s airspace in 2016.

  • Govt invests $9.5m in air safety

    Govt invests $9.5m in air safety

    The Federal Government has invested over $9.5 million in the past few years on critical areas of air safety, the General Manager Public Affairs of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Mr Supo Atobatele has said.

    The money, according to the airspace agency’s spokesman, was invested on the installation of instrument landing systems at some airports across the country, the installation of very Omni directional radio range (VOR), the maintenance of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) as well as the training of aeronautical personnel expected to man the technology.

    In an interview in Lagos, Atobatele said the automation of aeronautical information service billed to start in October would bring about efficiency and precision in the aeronautical information dissemination.

    As part of efforts to improve safety, the agency, he said is deploying very small aperture terminal ( VSAT) facilities and systems for installation at 11 designated centres across the country to automate aeronautical information.

    These stations include NAMA headquarters,  National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA)  headquarters, Lagos, Kano and Abuja.

    Others are Port Harcourt, Sokoto Ilorin, Jos, Maiduguri and Wukari.

    He said: “The training of aviation professionals both locally and abroad, together with capital investment on critical areas of air safety has  cost the Federal government more than $9.5million.

    “For without safe air corridors, monitored round the clock by well trained technical crew and modern and regularly maintained tracking systems, the best pilot flying the best aircraft would be a mere accident waiting to happen.

    “Good aircraft and good flight crew operating in unsecured skies are potential tragedies.”

    He continued: “The automation of aeronautical information service billed to commence by October 2014 is expected to bring about efficiency and precision in the aeronautical information dissemination.

    ‘This would as a consequence, translate into reduction in man hours as most of the paper work would give way to digitalisation.

    “It would also integrate the country’s aeronautical information system into the System Wide Information Management Network. The benefits of AIS automation are legion.”