NCAA acquires aircraft tracker

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has acquired an aircraft tracking system to promote air safety in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the acquisition of the tracker is coming months after the NCAA attained Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) category 1 status of the United States.

The status allows Nigeria registered aircraft to fly directly to the US airspace without hindrance.

The tracker, now installed at the NCAA headquarters in Ikeja, is the first of its kind.

It would allow the regulatory authority, airlines and other operators to locate the whereabouts of aircraft at anytime with precision.

Director-General of NCAA Dr Harold Demuren confirmed the acquisition of the tracking system and said that with the system, cases of missing aircraft would be a thing of the past.

He said the system would also be relevant in the search and rescue operations as well as help airlines to track their investments in equipment.

“Airlines will be the biggest beneficiaries. If you have 26 aircraft, costing more than six billion US dollars, you want to know where they are at all times.

“You can be in your hotel room, hook up to our system and you see exactly where your aircraft are,’’ Demuren said.

The NCAA boss said the system came with meteorological capabilities and could generate accurate and real-time weather report for aircraft departure, en-route and arrival.

He said the meteorological component made the tracker a compelling part of air safety procedure. He said the weather played significant role in many air accidents in the country.

“With this, a pilot can plan his flight and know how to approach the squall if it’s on his path,” Demuren explained.

The NCAA boss said the safety benefits of the tracking system would supersede those of the hard worn CAT I, saying “that is one of the legacies that I will leave behind…. that might even be more than CAT I for me.”

He said that unlike the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria airspace (TRACON) and other tracking devices, the NCAA system would track both airborne aircraft and those on the ground.