Federal Government has approved the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to engage additional 720 personnel to boost its activities. FAAN said that the additional workforce would be deployed to airside of the airports runways to boost safety around the facilities across the country.
Spokesman for FAAN, Mr. Yaubu Dati in a statement said, the Managing Director of the agency, Engr. Saleh Dunoma dropped the hint at the opening ceremony of a threeday workshop to mark the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA, 2015 Safety Week held at the international wing of the airport in Lagos state.
Dunoma also hinted that as a result of the growing threats to airports and flight operations, the management was putting appropriate measures and equipment in place to forestall any threat in and outside the airports.
While urging participants to plan ahead to avoid accident, Dunoma assured that FAAN places premium on safety.
The Guest Speaker and FAAN's Director of Airport Operations, Capt. Henry Omeogu, said the safety week was to provide awareness to stakeholders as well as travellers on the need to observe safety measures at the airport.
Omeogu however frowned at the indiscriminate posting of untrained personnel by the airport authority and airlines to airside, describing the personnel as nothing, but hazards that may cause serious and regrettable accidents in the sector.
He charged the staff to carry out daily inspections and audit of movement areas, directing all airport managers to urgently set up local runway safety teams to prevent incident of incursion and excursion on the runway.
With the theme "Airside Safety, the Very Essence of Aviation, various speakers harped on the need for constant interface among stakeholders to promote safety around the airside.
Source: National Mirror