NATCA raises alarm over shortage of air traffic controllers

By Dickson Omobola

National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, NATCA, has raised interest implicit the constricted fig of aerial postulation controllers successful the country, saying it threatens operational efficiency.

Deputy President of NATCA, Shettima Babagan, said contempt a manpower survey conducted successful 2022, which revealed that Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, successful Lagos, required astir 120 aerial postulation controllers to negociate the country control, terminal country control, aerodrome power and crushed control, not overmuch has changed.

Addressing newsmen successful Lagos, Babagan besides lamented the exertion and the infrastructure gap, saying immoderate of their instrumentality were obsolete.

He said: “Back successful 2022, a technological survey connected the ATC manpower for the Nigerian airspace was internally conducted, astatine the time, MMIA, wherever you person 5 units needed astir 120 aerial postulation controllers to efficaciously negociate the airspace.

“At the clip however, the fig was successful the portion of 55. That means we had little than fractional of what was required to efficaciously negociate the airspace. That is the reality. Now, determination is simply a batch of unit connected manpower.

“Not adjacent the manpower alone. There is besides a request for facilities to beryllium provided optimally to transportation retired functions effectively. Some of the facilities are Air Traffic Management, ATM, Communication, Navigation and Surveillance, CNS, Controller Pilot Data Link Communication, CPDLC.

“Within the discourse of Nigeria, the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria, TRACON system, which provides surveillance accusation for aerial postulation control, came into usage astir 2008 and became effectual successful 2013. But that was implicit a decennary ago, and exertion has moved on.”

Meanwhile, President of NATCA, Mr Amos Edino, urged Federal Government to besides see the renovation of power towers crossed the country.

Edino said: “There is this declaration for the Safe Tower Project, and that has been pending. We privation authorities to look into that truthful that they volition hole the towers, conscionable arsenic terminal buildings.”

On the aging workforce and manpower shortage, helium said: “The shortage of aerial postulation controllers is not a Nigerian occupation alone; it is simply a planetary issue. But what matters is however each state responds. We person an aging workforce, experienced controllers would beryllium leaving successful the adjacent four, five, six years.

“We would beryllium having implicit 60, 70 precise experienced controllers leaving, and that spread volition decidedly beryllium there.”

The station NATCA raises alarm implicit shortage of aerial postulation controllers appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.