NAMA reiterates assurance of safe flights during harmattan haze
Describing claims of unfit for operations during the haze period as misleading.
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has reassured air travellers that Nigeria’s airspace and airport landing facilities remain safe and fully operational during the current haze associated with the harmattan season.
In a Friday statement signed by the spokesperson of the agency, Dr Abdullahi Musa, the agency addressed public concerns over flight operations amid reduced visibility during the Harmattan.
Usually, harmattan rents the atmosphere in Nigeria from December till sometime in February. NAMA dismissed insinuations that navigational facilities at Nigerian airports are poorly maintained or unfit for operations during the haze period, describing such claims as misleading and not supported by technical facts.
According to the agency, all navigational aids at Federal Government airports are routinely maintained, flight-checked, and calibrated in strict compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices, as well as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations.
Speaking on the matter, the NAMA spokesperson added that the maintenance and calibration of critical air navigation infrastructure are mandatory safety requirements.
He said, “These processes are not optional. They are compulsory safety procedures carried out using NAMA’s dedicated flight inspection and calibration aircraft, operated by highly trained technical and flight inspection personnel.”
He explained that key systems such as Instrument Landing Systems, VHF Omnidirectional Range, Distance Measuring Equipment, and other Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management facilities undergo periodic ground and airborne verification to ensure accuracy, signal integrity, and operational reliability.
He added that all calibration and maintenance activities are conducted under continuous regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. “The NCAA audits our compliance, validates calibration cycles, and enforces corrective actions where required, ensuring that safety standards are consistently upheld,” he said.
He cited AIP Supplement S81/2025, dated 9 October 2025, which documented the calibration and serviceability status of all NAVAIDs in Nigeria.
“At the time of that publication, only the ILS facilities at Maiduguri, Ilorin, Owerri, Zaria, Minna, and Calabar were approaching their due calibration dates, while all other systems nationwide were within valid inspection periods,” Musa stated.
He revealed that NAMA conducted a nationwide round of flight calibration exercises in December 2025, restoring serviceability timelines at several airports, with another round scheduled early in the new year for Katsina, Jos, Ilorin, Yola, and Owerri airports.
Addressing public debate over the absence of CAT III Instrument Landing Systems at all airports, Musa clarified that such systems are not a universal requirement for safe operations during haze conditions.
“The deployment of ILS CAT I, CAT II, or CAT III is based on operational needs, traffic volume, aircraft capability, and long-term meteorological data, not on public perception.
“NAMA has therefore designed and published instrument approach procedures aligned with ILS CAT II minima, which adequately support safe aircraft operations during the most challenging seasonal conditions typically experienced in Nigeria,” Musa explained.
He emphasised that the absence of widespread CAT III systems does not indicate compromised safety, stressing that aviation safety depends on the appropriateness and reliability of systems in use.
Musa further noted that delays, diversions, or cancellations during the haze period are largely influenced by weather conditions, airline operational decisions, and aircraft capability rather than failures of navigational aids.
“While haze conditions present operational challenges, they do not imply infrastructural failure or reduced safety standards. Our priority remains the safety, security, and efficiency of air travel in Nigeria,” he said.
He added that NAMA works closely with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency to ensure the continuous dissemination of accurate weather information and provide real-time air traffic management support throughout the haze period.
