The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Thursday,July 31,2025, conducted a multi- agency aircraft crash mock exercise for the recertification of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport(NAIA), Abuja.
The exercise that took place at the airport, according to the NAMA Director of Air Traffic Service, Mr. John Tayo was in compliance with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Tayo, who was represented by the Acting General-Manager of Search and Rescue at NAMA,Mr.Agoro Abayomi, said the exercise was a vital component of collective commitment to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety and emergency preparedness.
According to him, the safety of passengers, crew, and aircraft remains paramount and non-negotiable as the exercise is designed to test the level of readiness, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and evaluate response strategies in the event of an aircraft emergency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agencies present at the exercise included, the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Others were the Nigerian Air Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Fire and Rescue Services, Medical Teams, Security Agencies, and other partners.
Tayo, who said that the presence of the stakeholders underscored aviation safety as a shared responsibility, added that only through unity of purpose and seamless cooperation could the nation achieve excellence in emergency response system.
Also speaking, the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator at the Abuja airport, Mr. Macel Onwuakpa said the search and rescue mock exercise was a preparedness for ICAO auditing.
“ For an airport to remain operational, there is what we call auditing from the ICAO.The part of the auditing is to ensure that we conduct this type of search and rescue exercise.
“The purpose is to check the response of our stakeholders, how they would do their jobs professionally at the crash site. It is one of the requirements” he stated.
“So, for you to get certification from ICAO, this type of exercise needed to be done which we have done here today in preparation for that auditing coming,” he said. (NAN)
