Acting Managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),Mr. Matthew Lawrence Pwajok has said the implementation and workability of the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) can be an enabling instrument for the Single African Air Transport Market ( SAATM) to effectively commence.
He made this known at the sidelines before the SBAS demonstration flight which tested signals provided by NIGCOMSAT-1R Communication Satellite at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport ( NAIA).
According to Pwajok, the SAATM cannot reach fruition until the imaginary barriers in the air are lifted.
He said, “Single African Air Transport Market ( SAATM) must be supported by a single African sky so the single African sky can be a strategy for sustaining or supporting the implementation of the SAATM.
“Definitely, if you want to remove barriers in terms of immigration, then you also must remove barriers in the airspace otherwise you have not achieved anything if there are restrictions when you want to go to Cotonou and we need to have a clearance and I can’t get an approval then there is no SAATM.
“To achieve SAATM you must have a single African sky, you must have a single African ATM or structure you must have what is called a regional air traffic management flow system, so flights can flow the same way it’s happening in Europe at the moment through Eurocontrol, Just one centre in Brussels control the whole flights in Europe. It is the same concept African countries must imbibe. Remove imaginary restrictions from the Airspace…remove the bureaucracies on ground, BASAs etc,” Pwajok said.
He equally said the benefits of the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) to the industry and particularly airlines are innumerable as it would bring effective use of the airspace, reduce cost as well as reduce Co2 emissions.
Pwajok said the satellite based system will be of advantage to pilots and Air Traffic Controllers by improving on accuracy that improves safety, and reduce Control Flight Into Terrain( CFIT) rather than turning left or right, it puts you more precise on the approach for landing.
“It reduces workload for the pilots and the air traffic controller and then of course efficiency for the airline,it reduces flight time, fuel consumption, turnaround time for the airline and in the long run improves the profitability for the airline.” Pwajok explained.
