Nigeria's domestic airlines to have tracking device

All aircraft operated by domestic airlines in Nigeria are to be fitted with an Automated Flight Information Reporting System, as part of efforts to ensure air safety in the country, according to the Director-General of the regulatory Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren.
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In an interview with pan-African news agency Panapress, Dr. Demuren (above), Director General and CEO of the NCAA, said: "The new device will record everything that happens to an aircraft during flight. If there is engine failure, it will record it; if there is excessive temperature, it will record it. If there is excessive vibration, it will record it.
 
“All airlines will be required to fix this on board their aircraft. The control centre will be at the NCAA, where we will be seeing everything. This is a good development in our airspace.”
 
According to the NCAA boss the regulatory agency will make the installation of the new device in aircraft a compulsory requirement for all domestic airlines, adding that it would be included in carriers’ minimum equipment list.
 
Dr. Demuren said the new device would serve as a backup in the event of loss of data contained in an aircraft’s black boxes.
 
The loss of data contained in the black box of the airplane operated by Nigeria's domestic Dana Air, which crashed on the outskirts of Lagos 3 June 2012, killing 159 people, adversely affected the investigation into the cause of the crash.
 

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