The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has led a delegation to Helsinki, Finland, and Vienna, Austria, for factory inspections and familiarization meetings with two aviation infrastructure equipment manufacturers, Vaisala and Frequentis AG, for the supply of infrastructural equipment for the construction of the on-going Abuja second runway.
The delegation included the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Faruk Ahmed Umar; the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), Prof. Charles Anosike; and the Director of Engineering, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Abiola Adejare.
The visit was initiated by the Managing Director of Avsatel, Georg Eder, and his deputy, Engr. Abdullahi Bayi, alongside the project’s Chief Consultant on Airfield Lighting (AFL), NavAids, Communications, and Meteorology, KEFE Engineering Limited, Engr. Mohammed Sodiq.

The delegation at Helsinki, Finland, inspected the weather radar at Helsinki Airport, after which they had a comprehensive meeting with the management and a visit to the manufacturing plant of Vaisala OYJ, the world’s largest developer and manufacturer of meteorological equipment.
The delegation was received by Vaisala’s Mauri Vapola, Application Manager; Juha Salmivaara, R&D Manager; and Kimmo Rustolainen, Director for MEA for Central Asia and Ukraine.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the Media Aide to the Minister, Tunde Moshood, the Vaisala team during the meeting provided an in-depth overview of the company’s core specializations, including Automatic Weather Observing Systems (AWOS), Runway Visual Range (RVR), Windshear Alert Systems, Weather Radar Integration, Lightning Information Integration and Runway Management.

According to the statement, the Nigerian delegation was taken on a tour of the meteorological equipment at Helsinki Airport and provided valuable insights into the operational efficiency and technological advancements of the equipment.

In Vienna, Austria, the delegation met with the management and visited the manufacturing plant of Frequentis AG, a global leader in voice communication and control systems for air traffic management.
The Vice President and Head of the Global Sales Group for Frequentis AG, Dr. Bernd Novak, presented an overview of their state-of-the-art Voice Communications Switch.

Following the presentation, NAMA MD and NiMet DG, Engr. Faruk Ahmed Umar and Prof. Charles Anosike discussed the importance of synchronizing weather and radar applications on the same software platform to enhance safety and operational effectiveness.
This collaborative approach is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of air traffic management and weather forecasting in Nigeria.
Commenting on the importance of the visit, Keyamo said: “This visit is a crucial step in ensuring that our aviation infrastructure is equipped with the latest technologies to enhance safety and efficiency.

“The partnerships we are forging with industry leaders like Vaisala and Frequentis AG are vital for the successful implementation of our projects, such as the Abuja second runway,”

Source: Nation Newspaper