2nd Abuja airport runway: Keyamo leads delegation to two European countries
In a bid to effectively kickstart the construction of a second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has led the Nigerian high delegation to two European countries.
A statement by Mr. Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant, Media and Communications to Keyamo on Wednesday, said that the team visited Helsinki, Finland and Vienna in Austria for critical factory inspections and familiarisation meetings with Vaisala and Frequentis AG, two leading aviation infrastructure equipment manufacturers.
The two companies are expected to supply the infrastructural equipment for the construction of the project.
The statement hinted that also on the delegation were Engr. Faruk Umar; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Prof. Charles Anosike; the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and Engr. Abiola Adejare; the Director of Engineering, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Keyamo emphasised the visit was a crucial step in ensuring that the country’s aviation infrastructure was equipped with the latest technologies to enhance safety and efficiency. “The partnerships we are forging with industry leaders like Vaisala and Frequentis AG are vital for the successful implementation of our projects, such as the Abuja second runway,” he added.
According to the statement, the visit was initiated by Mr. Georg Mba, the Managing Director of Avsatel and Engr. Abdullahi Bayi, his deputy, alongside Engr. Mohammed Kefe; the project’s chief consultant on Airfield Lighting (AFL), NavAids, Communications and Meteorology. Mpshood explained that the first port of call for the team was in Helsinki, Finland, where it inspected the weather radar at Helsinki Airport.
He said this was followed by a comprehensive meeting with the management and a visit to the manufacturing plant of Vaisala OYJ, the developer and manufacturer of meteorological equipment. The statement added: “The delegation was received by Vaisala’s Mauri Vapola, Application Manager; Juha Salmivaara, R& D Manager; and Kimmo Rustolainen, Director for MEA for Central Asia and Ukraine.
“During the visit, the Vaisala team provided an in-depth overview of the company’s core specializations, including: Automatic Weather Observing Systems (AWOS), Runway Visual Range (RVR), Windshear Alert Systems, Weather Radar Integration, Lightning Information Integration and Runway Management.”
The statement added that the Nigerian delegation was then given a tour of the meteorological equipment at Helsinki Airport, providing valuable insights into the operational efficiency and technological advancements of the equipment. Besides, he stated that the delegation visited Vienna, Austria, where they met with the management and visited the manufacturing plant of Frequentis AG, voice communication and control systems for air traffic management.
Dr. Bernd Novak, the Vice President of Frequentis AG, reportedly presented an overview of their state-of-the-art Voice Communications Switch.
After the presentation, the statement stated that the duo of Umar and Anosike discussed the importance of synchronising weather and radar applications on the same software platform to enhance safety and operational effectiveness. He stated that the collaborative approach was expected to significantly improve the efficiency of air traffic management and weather forecasting in Nigeria.
