Landing system still not operational
More than a year after the malfunctioning instrument landing system at Namibia's largest airport caused international flights to divert to neighbouring countries in misty weather, it has still not been replaced.
The instrument landing system (ILS) at the Hosea Kutako International Airport has now been out of service for more than eight months, posing a danger to aircraft landing in inclement weather where visibility is very low or zero.
A daily NOTAM warning to pilots has been issued for nearly a year now regarding the out-of-service ILS at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Since November last year a NOTAM stands on a daily basis alerting pilots that the ILS at the airport has been withdrawn from service and is awaiting the replacement of equipment.
The system was withdrawn from service earlier this year after being broken for several months. In April last year this resulted in the diversion of several international flights due to foggy conditions at the airport, when the planes were unable to land.
The system allows aircraft to land safely when there is poor visibility and runway lights are not efficient, such as in foggy conditions.
Without the ILS, the only instrument landings that can be made at the airport are VOR approaches, which use radio beacons on the ground to determine the aircraft's position, but these approaches are highly variable and not precise.
The Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said at the end of April this year that the ILS had been withdrawn and required replacement.
“The ILS had reached the end of its usable life and required replacement as it has been in operation for more than 20 years,” the NCAA said in a letter addressed to the works minister Alpheus !Naruseb.
The NCAA said industry stakeholders had been informed on 17 August 2016 already that the ILS was due to be withdrawn for replacement.
In a circular issued on 17 August last year the Directorate of Civil Aviation said the ILS would be withdrawn from service due to “Nav-Aid programme upgrades within Namibia” and that it would be replaced with a new facility.
According to this circular the ILS would have been withdrawn on 5 September last year and the project would take approximately eight weeks to complete.
However due to a delay the ILS was not withdrawn at that stage.
On 31 October 2016, the ILS equipment failed and a NOTAM advising this was published. On 1 November 2016, it was determined that the ILS was beyond economic repair and due to the upcoming replacement project the ILS was withdrawn for safety reasons.
On 18 November last year the construction safety plan was approved and soon thereafter the dismantling of the old equipment and the construction of the new equipment started. The process required earthworks as well as electrical wiring to be conducted.
In April this year the NCAA said the construction of the new landing system was nearing completion, but that it was being delayed by a power supply interruption.
Following the installation of the ILS equipment it is required to be calibrated and tested to ensure that it meets International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and is safe for use by commercial aircraft. The calibration of the ILS was planned to be completed by the middle of May this year by an external specialised company.
Thereafter, an imbedding process has to be run to ensure that the equipment meets reliability standards. After the calibration and imbedding testing has been satisfactorily completed the director may certify the ILS for use and the navigational facility will be commissioned by NOTAM.
However, by yesterday pilots were still being warned that the ILS was not in service.
According to the performance agreement of !Naruseb, the ILS at both the Hosea Kutako and Walvis Bay airports needs to be replaced before the end of the year.
Questions were sent to the Namibian Airport Company (NAC) and the acting executive director of the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Angeline Simana, who did not respond by the time of going to press.
ELLANIE SMIT
A daily NOTAM warning to pilots has been issued for nearly a year now regarding the out-of-service ILS at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Since November last year a NOTAM stands on a daily basis alerting pilots that the ILS at the airport has been withdrawn from service and is awaiting the replacement of equipment.
The system was withdrawn from service earlier this year after being broken for several months. In April last year this resulted in the diversion of several international flights due to foggy conditions at the airport, when the planes were unable to land.
The system allows aircraft to land safely when there is poor visibility and runway lights are not efficient, such as in foggy conditions.
Without the ILS, the only instrument landings that can be made at the airport are VOR approaches, which use radio beacons on the ground to determine the aircraft's position, but these approaches are highly variable and not precise.
The Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said at the end of April this year that the ILS had been withdrawn and required replacement.
“The ILS had reached the end of its usable life and required replacement as it has been in operation for more than 20 years,” the NCAA said in a letter addressed to the works minister Alpheus !Naruseb.
The NCAA said industry stakeholders had been informed on 17 August 2016 already that the ILS was due to be withdrawn for replacement.
In a circular issued on 17 August last year the Directorate of Civil Aviation said the ILS would be withdrawn from service due to “Nav-Aid programme upgrades within Namibia” and that it would be replaced with a new facility.
According to this circular the ILS would have been withdrawn on 5 September last year and the project would take approximately eight weeks to complete.
However due to a delay the ILS was not withdrawn at that stage.
On 31 October 2016, the ILS equipment failed and a NOTAM advising this was published. On 1 November 2016, it was determined that the ILS was beyond economic repair and due to the upcoming replacement project the ILS was withdrawn for safety reasons.
On 18 November last year the construction safety plan was approved and soon thereafter the dismantling of the old equipment and the construction of the new equipment started. The process required earthworks as well as electrical wiring to be conducted.
In April this year the NCAA said the construction of the new landing system was nearing completion, but that it was being delayed by a power supply interruption.
Following the installation of the ILS equipment it is required to be calibrated and tested to ensure that it meets International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and is safe for use by commercial aircraft. The calibration of the ILS was planned to be completed by the middle of May this year by an external specialised company.
Thereafter, an imbedding process has to be run to ensure that the equipment meets reliability standards. After the calibration and imbedding testing has been satisfactorily completed the director may certify the ILS for use and the navigational facility will be commissioned by NOTAM.
However, by yesterday pilots were still being warned that the ILS was not in service.
According to the performance agreement of !Naruseb, the ILS at both the Hosea Kutako and Walvis Bay airports needs to be replaced before the end of the year.
Questions were sent to the Namibian Airport Company (NAC) and the acting executive director of the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Angeline Simana, who did not respond by the time of going to press.
ELLANIE SMIT
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