NAMA Officially Takes Ownership of NAFIS Hangar from NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has formally transferred ownership of the Navigational Aids Flights Inspection and Surveillance (NAFIS) hangar in Lagos to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

According to a statement signed by Abdulahi Musa, Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NAMA, the handover ceremony took place on Thursday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, marking a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s flight calibration capabilities.

The transfer ceremony featured the signing of documents by top officials from both NAMA and NCAA, in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

The event followed a series of activities earlier in the week, including an inspection of the premises and verification of assets listed in the inventory submitted by the regulatory agency to the ministry ahead of the handover.

Among the assets ceded to NAMA are the NAFIS hangar, an unserviceable calibration aircraft (HS-125), a ground power generator, a flight calibration laboratory, a library, and several offices.

The transfer is expected to enhance NAMA’s capacity to conduct flight calibration services and improve the agency’s operational efficiency.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services at NAMA, Engr Terese Iheanacho, who represented the Managing Director of NAMA, expressed confidence that the takeover would significantly boost the agency’s ability to deliver high-quality flight calibration services.

“You would recall that the Federal Government, in a bid to reposition NAFIS as a key player in providing efficient flight calibration services globally, transferred the operation of the Beechcraft KingAir 350i flight calibration aircraft with registration marking 5N-CAA and its crew to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

“It is worthy of note that NAMA has developed indigenous flight calibration crew with the capacity to undertake routine and commissioning flight calibration services. With this development, NAMA is now fully ready to extend her flight calibration services beyond the shores of Nigeria. The Ministerial directive is what we are implementing here today,” Iheanacho stated.

The handover marks a strategic move to empower NAMA to play a leading role in air navigation safety and efficiency, with expectations that the improved calibration capacity will enhance the reliability of Nigeria’s airspace management.