BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has formally taken over the operations of the Navigational Aids Flights Inspection and Surveillance (NAFIS) hangar domiciled at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
This follows the official handover of the facility to NAMA last Thursday by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The transfer ceremony, marked by the formal signing of documents between top officials of NAMA and NCAA, was witnessed by representatives from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
This milestone event was the culmination of a series of preparatory activities that began earlier in the week, including a comprehensive inspection of the facility and a thorough verification of assets.
The process ensured that all items listed in the regulatory agency’s inventory, as submitted to the ministry, were accurately accounted for ahead of the official handover.
Some of the assets ceded to NAMA include the hanger, an unserviceable calibration aircraft (HS-125), Ground power generator, a flight calibration laboratory, library, offices among others.
In her remarks after the handover, the representative of NAMA MD and Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services, Engineer Terese Iheanacho expressed optimism that the takeover of the facility by NAMA would not only boost the capacity of the agency in calibration of air navigation systems in the country but also enhance seamlessness and efficiency in the agency’s operations.
“You would recall that the Federal Government in a bid to reposition NAFIS as a key player providing efficient flight calibration services globally, transferred the operation of the Beechcraft KingAir 350i flight calibration aircraft with registration marking 5N-CAA and crew to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
“It is worthy of note that NAMA has developed indigenous flight calibration crew with capacity to undertake routine and commissioning flight calibration services.
“With this development NAMA is now fully ready to extend her flight calibration services beyond the shores of Nigeria. The Ministerial directive is what we are implementing here today,” Iheanacho said.
