By LAWANI MIKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHE
Nigeria  is to switch to the satellite based navigation system also known as the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) soon.  This is coming as airline operators and pilots have been urged to key into the satellite based navigation system.

Disclosing this development to newsmen over the weekend, General Manager, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Supo Atobatele pointed out that there was a meeting between the agency and all the airlines operators and pilots to inform them about the need to key into the satellite based navigation system which will take effect soon.

”On Tuesday, we met with the pilots in the industry and airline operators, just to inform them about the development in NAMA, particularly the satellite based navigation system also known as performance based navigational system. Like you know, some weeks ago, we migrated from the terrestrial air navigation system to the satellite-based navigation system”

”So, we need to tell them what we have on ground and what they should do. Particularly, for you to operate within the sphere of the PBN system, your aircraft must be compliant, it must carry the prerequisite gadgets. So what we are trying to do is to just inform them” Atobatele affirmed.

He however stressed that any time from now NAMA would announce the commencement of the satellite based navigation system adding that airlines that would operate on the system are only those whose aircraft are compliant with the PBN system.

”Anytime from now, we will announce a specific date for the commencement of the PBN system in Nigeria, particularly for the major air routes and airports like Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcort, and Kano”

Mr Atobatele said  the test flight has been done by Emirates Airline as the first to carry out the approach test on Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, in Lagos while the KLM recorded same in Kano. South Africa Airways has equally joined and  they did it on their own and it was 100 percent successful. He therefore  urged all the local airlines to join too.

Mentioning the benefits of the PBN Mr. Atobatele noted that aircraft that are compliant will land faster as it will facilitate seamless flight operation without the pilot having to contact the Air Traffic Controllers ,ATC, all the time as they can see all the information on the culpit while flying.

Earlier, Nigeria migrated from terrestrial air navigation system to a satellite-based navigation system with Emirates Airline acting as the first airline to carry out the approach test on Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, in Lagos while the KLM recorded same in Kano.