The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathon GCFR1, commissioned the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) Air Traffic Control System provided by Thales at a ceremony hosted by the Nigerian Minister for Aviation, the Honourable Mrs. Fidelia Akuabata Njeze.
Thales has supplied, installed and commissioned the latest generation EUROCAT Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, along with both co-mounted STAR 2000 Approach Primary Radars and RSM 970 Monopulse Mode S Secondary Radars, as well as Voice Communication System (VCS), at the four international airports in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Thales has also provided 5 stand-alone RSM 970 S Monopulse Mode S Secondary Radars at five other sites. All TRACON sites are linked by a state of the art satellite communications VSAT network.
The EUROCAT air traffic management system provides the latest technology to ensure safe and efficient operations for en-route, approach and airport movements. Thales has supplied a total of 260 air traffic control centres worldwide, all designed to comply with international standards and meet customers' requirements for enhanced air traffic safety and security.
The Thales STAR 2000 and co-mounted RSM 970 S Mode S MSSR radar equipment are state-of-the-art solid-state radars that will feed data into the Thales EUROCAT Air Traffic Control centres. Thales has supplied over 600 operational Air Traffic Control radars worldwide.
The implementation of the TRACON Programme modernises Nigeria’s current Navigation Surveillance and ATM capabilities, and provides a total radar coverage of Nigerian airspace.
Mr. Cedric Costes, Thales International Vice President, in charge of Africa stated: “We are glad to see that the dedicated efforts of NAMA and Thales, working hand in hand on this programme, have paved the way to this ceremony. We are thrilled to be part of this story and proud to say that Nigeria now has one of the safest and most modern Air Traffic Control Systems in the entire Africa / Indian Ocean region.”
The commissioning falls during both the 50th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the 10th anniversary of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
Thales is a world leader in ATM systems and civil radars and has a 70% market share in the navigation aids market. Thales offers an integrated gate-to-gate solution, from pre-flight to landing, ensuring airport safety, efficient traffic handling operations, data sharing on aircraft and seamless handover operations between territories.
