The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has explained its decision to remove a Category III Instrument Landing System (CAT III ILS) installed at the Lagos airport.

NAMA’s Director of Safety, Electronic and Engineering Services, Teresa Ihenachor, told journalists in Lagos over the weekend that the agency deactivated the equipment due to its persistent unserviceability, which posed a safety concern.

Ihenachor, stated this while responding to questions on the status of two CAT III ILS systems reportedly acquired for the Lagos and Abuja airports at a cost of about N7.58 billion.

According to her, the Lagos equipment had developed a pattern of repeated failures and remained unreliable even after several attempts to repair and downgrade it to CAT II operations.

She noted that the Lagos CAT III ILS had a history of unserviceability before she assumed office, adding that the equipment was repaired more than seven times within a short period after she took over, yet continued to develop faults.

She explained that the challenges were not limited to the ILS itself, but were also linked to the infrastructure and operational conditions required for CAT III operations.

Ihenachor specifically cited airfield lighting at Lagos airport, noting that the facility’s lighting infrastructure was at CAT I level, while some associated systems had been downgraded to CAT II.

As a result, she said, the CAT III ILS installed at Lagos was itself operated at CAT II level.

She said: “We did not abandon anything. It was removed for safety. The ILS, CAT III, Nigeria does not have requirement for it.

“Even with the down-gradation to CAT 11, it was not functioning optimally.”

The director further explained that the equipment was particularly sensitive to environmental conditions and produced unreliable readings, making its continued operation at the busy Lagos airport unacceptable from a safety standpoint.

Following the removal, she said NAMA obtained approval from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to deploy another ILS that had originally been intended for a different station to Lagos.

Ihenachor identified the replacement equipment as a NOMAC CAT II ILS, saying it had remained functional and provided a more reliable navigation aid at the airport.

She added that NAMA had also addressed power-related challenges affecting the system through the installation of a solar power solution.

The Abuja installation, according to the director, had also faced limitations arising from supporting infrastructure.

She said the Abuja CAT III ILS had also been downgraded to CAT II as the airport did not have all the infrastructure required to support CAT III operations.

Ihenachor said NAMA was considering relocating the equipment to airports where the systems could be deployed more effectively and where the necessary conditions existed.

She cited Calabar as one of the possible destinations for an ILS system.

Ihenachor disclosed that her predecessor had reportedly offered professional advice on the procurement, but that the advice was not adhered to.

She stressed that navigation equipment must be compatible with the environmental conditions and supporting infrastructure of the airport where it is deployed.

According to her, CAT III operations required a combination of supporting infrastructure, including appropriate airfield lighting, frequencies and dependable power supply.

While NAMA was responsible for the ILS and had addressed the power challenge, she noted that airfield lighting was outside the agency’s control.