Asaba Airport Targets International Operations After Landing Verification

With the successful verification of the airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS), Asaba airport management stated that it aimed to improve services and international flight operations.

Christophe Pennick, Managing Director of the Asaba Airport Company, revealed this in Asaba while speaking to journalists during the ILS verification at the airport.

He stated that if the calibration of the ILS is successfully verified, airlines will be able to land at the airport in deteriorated weather conditions up to 800 metres.

The Asaba airport manager stated that the drone verification was the first of its kind in the country, adding that it provides more accurate data and does not disrupt traffic.

He stated that NAMA would formally carry out the calibration and certification after the ILS was successfully verified.

“The ILS was installed a long time ago but was never used because we couldn’t calibrate it but what we have done in the past weeks is that we invited specialists that know how to tune the equipment.

It is specially used in low visibility conditions and this means that in the past when we had flight cancellations during the harmattan or raining season.

During harmattan and rainy season we will not have flight cancellations anymore except it goes below the very minimal”.

“The equipment was installed before our arrival and to make sure that the equipment is well-tuned we invited the company from Spain to do verification with the drone because it gives a more accurate reading than an aircraft.

The specialist arrived a few days ago and with the four flights we have done we are spot on and on the perfect angle.

When the NAMA aircraft will be available to do the calibration we will pass it with 100 per cent which means that shortly we will have a finally calibrated ILS in Asaba.

This will also make us the first airport in this region that will enable us to fly in an aircraft during deteriorated weather conditions.

We intend to build traffic here from early morning to late at night, as well as to attract international flights, but this is not possible without properly calibrated and certified equipment”.

“So we are upgrading the airport facilities step by step to increase traffic and allow Asaba to develop as the gateway to the South-South.”

“It takes a lot of money and work, but we are confident that a lot of things will have changed by the end of this year,” he said.

In his remarks, the state’s commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, praised the airport’s management for making great strides in just over a year of operation.

“Starting from the number of traffic you have increased and bringing the airport to profitability and the calibration of the instrument landing system ILS.

When we installed the ILS then we couldn’t calibrate it but you have done that within a short period.

We are quite pleased that we took the decision to concession the airport and we hope that in a short while many of those goals we have set for ourselves while concessioning this airport would have been realised”.

He also lauded the airport for its corporate social responsibility stressing that the state government was proud to have decided to concession the airport.

“You have helped us to reduce unemployment and we have also seen the traffic lights you installed along the expressway.

What we are witnessing today goes to show that the decision to hand over the airport to professional managers is very patriotic and we are proud to have taken that decision.

Our airport is now ranking far above its contemporaries with a larger number of traffic and more navigational facilities and we look forward to the real intent to make it an international hub for the South-South and several states in this country”, Aniagwu added.