The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA, on Sunday, August 2, called the attention of Nigeria’s aviation authorities to the lack of back up of its radar facilities in the country’s airspace.

It said the lack of back up of such sensitive facility is a time bomb waiting to explode.

The Association, in a statement signed by the association’s Secretary General, Victor Eyaru Banji Olawode, which was made available to the media on Sunday, noted that it was most unfortunate that none of the radar facilities within the Nigeria’s airspace has any form of backup.

While also urging the government to address the faulty runway at the Lagos airport, he said: “We call on government to urgently fix this taxiway to prevent avoidable aircraft accidents on ground and to increase the capacity of the airport.

“Lagos Central Taxiway: This taxiway has been out of use for more than six years due to abandonment of the reconstruction work on the taxiway. This has led to only the usage of Eastern taxiway whenever only Runway 18L/36R is available for landing and takeoff.”

He stated that aircraft accidents on he ground have been recorded more than twice whenever wide bodied aircraft make use of the Eastern taxiway, adding that the most recent was at 2045 UTC on July 6 when the Emirates aircraft B777 flight UAE784 ran into parked Hak Airlines aircraft on the apron when FAAN Electrical department switched off lights on the longer Runway 18R/36L for maintenance.

Olawode added that the un-serviceability of the same Eastern Taxiway has prevented aircraft from accessing the only compass swing available in the airport.