The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has dismissed allegations that landing facilities nationwide are poorly maintained or unfit for operations during harmattan. According to the agency, all navigational aids at federal government airports are routinely maintained, flight-checked and calibrated in line with international and national aviation safety regulations.
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr Abdullahi Musa, NAMA acknowledged that harmattan weather often presents operational challenges for airlines but stressed that such conditions should not be mistaken for infrastructural failure or compromised safety.
The agency explained that its navigational systems, including Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and other Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) facilities, undergo mandatory periodic inspections. These checks are conducted using NAMA’s dedicated flight inspection and calibration aircraft, operated by trained technical and flight inspection personnel, to ensure accuracy, signal integrity and reliability.
NAMA further noted that these activities are carried out under continuous regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which audits compliance, validates calibration cycles and enforces corrective measures where required.
To promote transparency, the agency said the operational status of navigational aids is formally published through Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP) Supplements, which are accessible to airlines, pilots and other stakeholders. It cited AIP Supplement S81/2025, dated October 9, 2025, which detailed the calibration and serviceability status of all navigational aids nationwide. At the time, only a few airports — including Maiduguri, Ilorin, Owerri, Zaria, Minna and Calabar — were approaching their due calibration dates.
According to the statement, a nationwide round of flight calibration exercises carried out in December 2025 restored serviceability timelines at multiple locations, while another round of inspections has been scheduled early in the new year for airports such as Katsina, Jos, Ilorin, Yola and Owerri.
Addressing public debate over the absence of Category III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS CAT III) at many Nigerian airports, NAMA described the assumption that such systems are required everywhere as technically inaccurate. The agency explained that the choice between ILS CAT I, CAT II or CAT III is based on operational needs, traffic volume, aircraft and airline capability, and long-term meteorological data, rather than prestige or public perception.
It added that global aviation practice shows many airports operate safely with CAT I or CAT II systems because prevailing weather conditions do not justify the complexity and cost of CAT III infrastructure. In Nigeria, historical data indicate that the lowest average runway visibility during harmattan is about 150 metres, a condition adequately supported by published ILS CAT II approach procedures.
NAMA maintained that safety is determined by the appropriateness and reliability of systems, not by deploying the most advanced technology where it is operationally unjustified. It also clarified that temporary withdrawal or restriction of systems is done proactively in the interest of safety, not as evidence of neglect.
The agency attributed harmattan-related delays, diversions and cancellations largely to weather conditions, airline operational decisions and aircraft capability, rather than failures of navigational aids. It added that it works closely with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to ensure timely dissemination of accurate weather information and effective air traffic management during the season.
Reaffirming its position, NAMA said Nigeria’s airspace remains safe, professionally managed and aligned with global best practices, urging that public discourse on aviation issues be informed, responsible and technically grounded.