Keyamo inaugurates NCAA flight data centre to enhance aviation safety

Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, has in augurated the flight data centre (FDC) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to enhance safety in the sector.

At the inauguration on Wednesday in Abuja, Keyamo said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is focused on modernising key sectors by transitioning from analog to digital systems to boost efficiency and service delivery.

He said the FDC would enable the NCAA to regulate the aviation industry more effectively by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing costs, and improving customer experience.

“One of our five-point agenda is to improve safety within the sector. This initiative directly contributes to that goal,” Keyamo said.

The minister noted that the FDC is not only designed for responding to incidents but also for routine monitoring of flight patterns, human errors, and mechanical issues.

Chris Najomo, the acting director-general (DG) of NCAA, described the FDC as a critical component of modern aviation, responsible for collecting, processing, and analysing vast amounts of flight data.

Najomo said the centre’s core functions include data acquisition, processing, event detection, and a feedback loop.

He said the FDC would align Nigeria’s aviation safety standards with global best practices, enhancing international confidence in the local industry.

“As an ICAO contracting state, Nigeria is obligated to ensure the highest safety standards, and the NCAA’s collaboration with APS Aerospace Corporation supports this effort,” Najomo said.

The acting DG said the APS Aerospace, with over 100 years of combined experience in flight data and cockpit/ATC audio analysis, partnered with the NCAA to train selected staff in flight data analysis (FDA) and flight data monitoring (FDM) systems.

According to Najomo, the systems systematically collect, process, and evaluate flight data to identify trends, anomalies or safety issues, which are crucial for modern aviation safety management practices.