By Oladele Eniola
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has conducted validation flights on instrument flight procedures in international airports across the country.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Tayib Odunowo, Managing Director of NAMA, on Sunday in Lagos.
Odunowo said that the exercise was conducted ahead of the International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) expected to begin at the end of the month.
He said that the agency also calibrated navigational aids at airports in the country while newly installed ones has been commissioned at the Maiduguri and Minna airports.
Odunowo noted that required documents such as Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP), Operation Manuals, Memorandum of Understanding with other agencies including has been reviewed and forwarded to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for approval.
He expressed satisfaction with the preparedness and compliance level of the agency.
The managing director also noted that critical manpower has been boosted at major airports across the country.
He reiterated the importance for units and departments to work in synergy and harmony.
The managing director also inspected the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) sites, control towers, mobile control towers, Air Traffic Control III-D Tower Simulator at Centrex Lagos and administrative offices.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ICAO USOAP was established in 1999 to promote global aviation safety through regular audits of ICAO Member States to determine their ability to maintain effectively their safety oversight systems.
The programme is managed by the Monitoring and Oversight office within the Air Navigation Bureau.
The objective of USOAP is to promote global aviation safety.
It does this by auditing Contracting States, on a regular basis, to determine the States’ capability for safety oversight.
It makes this determination by assessing the effective implementation of the critical elements of a safety oversight system and the status of States’ implementation of safety-related ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, associated procedures, guidance material and safety-related practices.
ICAO launched the USOAP in response to widespread concerns expressed during the 29th ICAO Assembly in 1992.
t that Session of the Assembly, a concern was raised on the apparent inability of some Contracting States to carry out their safety oversight functions.
Assembly Resolution A32-11 directed ICAO to conduct regular, mandatory, systematic and harmonised safety audits of all Contracting States, with the objective of enhancing safety by promoting the implementation of States of International Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
It also encouraged its application by Contracting States, together with the greater transparency and increased accessibility of audit results.(NAN)
