NAMA Explains Delay in Deployment of Mobile Control Tower at Lagos Airport after Fire Incident 

Chinedu Eze

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has explained why it is yet to deploy a mobile control tower to replace the fixed Control Tower put into disuse when fire damaged Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos where it is located.

The agency said it is yet to deploy the mobile tower due to critical technical and safety considerations that govern aviation infrastructure deployment.

Reacting to media report on the delay of the deployment, which is urgent safety critical infrastructure, NAMA in a statement signed by its spokesman, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, stated, “Following the recent fire incident at the Aerodrome Control Tower of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NAMA immediately activated contingency measures to ensure the uninterrupted provision of air navigation services. As part of these measures, the Agency initiated arrangements for the deployment of a Mobile Control Tower to serve as a temporary operational facility while restoration efforts on the main tower continue. 

“However, the installation of aviation control infrastructure cannot be undertaken in a hurried or improvised manner. Such facilities must comply with strict engineering and operational standards designed to safeguard aircraft operations.

“First, the location chosen for the Mobile Control Tower must provide optimal visual coverage of the runway, taxiways and other critical portions of the airfield. This requirement is essential to enable air traffic controllers maintain effective situational awareness in managing aircraft movements on the ground and within the aerodrome environment.”

NAMA also explained that the identified location required excavation and structural casting to create a firm and stable foundation capable of supporting the tower infrastructure, noting that aviation installations demand structural stability to avoid any operational or safety risk.

“Engineering standards further require that the casting be allowed to cure for a minimum of twenty-one days before any heavy structure can be mounted on it. This curing period is a critical technical process intended to prevent cracks, instability or structural failure that could compromise the installation. 

“Indeed, when NAMA initially prepared to deploy the mobile tower, the project contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), advised that the installation should not proceed until the foundation had fully settled, warning that premature deployment could damage the structure and undermine the entire work,” the agency also explained.

The agency added, “In the overriding interest of safety and in line with global engineering standards, NAMA responsibly adhered to this professional advice. It is therefore inaccurate to interpret the waiting period as operational delay.

“It is also important to state that air traffic control services at MMIA have remained uninterrupted. As an interim arrangement, the Fire Service Tower has been effectively utilised for Aerodrome Control operations pending the installation of the Mobile Tower.”

The agency also disclosed that the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) (used to exchange essential, safety-critical text messages between aviation entities, such as air traffic services, airports, and airlines) has been fully restored and remains operational, with Aeronautical Information Service personnel currently working from the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) complex.