Keyamo Leads Delegation To Europe Over Abuja Second Runway Project

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has led a high-profile delegation to Helsinki, Finland, and Vienna, Austria, for critical factory inspections and familiarisation meetings with two of the world’s leading aviation infrastructure equipment manufacturers, Vaisala and Frequentis AG for the supply of infrastructural equipments for the construction of the on-going Abuja second runway.

The delegation included the managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. 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.

Special adviser to the minister, Tunde Moshood, in a statement, said this important visit was initiated by the managing director of Avsatel, Georg Eder MBA, 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 statement stated that the first stop for the Nigerian delegation was in Helsinki, Finland, where they inspected the weather radar at Helsinki Airport.

This was followed by 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.

It added that during the visit, the Vaisala team 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.

The Nigerian delegation was then given a tour of the meteorological equipment at Helsinki Airport, providing valuable insights into the operational efficiency and technological advancements of the equipment.

The delegation’s next stop was Vienna, Austria, where they 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.