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An aviation expert, John Ojiukutu, has warned that Nigeria might lose up to N350million if international flights keep diverting to neighbouring countries because they can’t land in Lagos.
Last week, The Sun had reported that despite the acquisition of $8.5m calibration aircraft by the Federal Government, the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has expressed worry over degraded navigational aids (NAVAIDS) which has contributed to the diversion of international flights to neighbouring countries.
“On the average from the foreign airlines alone charges/earnings on landing and parking, navigational services, ground handling services, and fuel marketing mainly can’t be less than $1m or N350m.
“We are told Cat 3 ILS are installed, but not sure they have been calibrated; if the Cat 2 have been withdrawn and no NOTAMS to inform the operators particularly the foreign operators that religiously fly by their books, they would fly by their standard operating procedures.
“ Ilorin airport was built as the alternate to Lagos; has anyone asked why the airport is in its present state of not suitable to welcome divisions from Lagos? If the airport can welcome divisions from Lagos, most of the diversions to Accra could have found it cost effective to go to Ilorin especially if the reasons are from the service providers,” Ojiukutu said.
The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has expressed worry over the degraded navigational aids (NAVAIDS) which has contributed to the diversion of international flights.
The association expressed concern on the heels of the recent diversion of British Airways London-Lagos bound BA 075 and Air France flights to Accra and Cotonou respectively due to the state of navigational and landing facilities and has called for facilities to be calibrated.
The president of NATCA, Abayomi Agoro, said the events at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is as a result of poor visibility and haze which caused most of the diversion and was worsened by the degraded state of navigational and landing facilities due to lack of calibration.
