Nigerian Airspace Recorded 28,000 Over-flyers in 2012

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that 28,000 over-flyers were recorded in the nation’s airspace in 2012, according to Mr. Supo Atobatele, the NAMA General Manager, Public Affairs.

He said, in a statement made available to reporters here Monday, that about 517 foreign airlines overflew Nigeria during the period.

Over-flying is the process of an aircraft passing through a nation’s airspace to other destinations without landing in the over-flown nation.

According to Atobatele, Air France with 3,505 over-flyers, Ethiopia airlines with 2,289, Royal Air Maroc with 1,909, Kenya Airways with 1,888 and South African Airways with 1,859 were the top five.

Others were Emirate Airlines, British Airways, Asky Airlines, Iberia, Air Senegal, Brussels Airlines, Ceiba International, Lufthansa Airlines, Cameroon Airlines, Air Namibia, Egypt Air, KLM Royal Airlines, and Qatar Airways.

He said: “During the time under review, 20 of the 517 airlines accounted for 80 per cent of the aggregate over flight operations with an average of 1,879 per month.

“Twenty-six scheduled airlines that operated in the Nigerian airports recorded 28,532 operations which contributed 70 per cent to the aggregate operations.

“The highest operation was recorded in December with 2,691 operations and the least was recorded in February with 1,764 operations,” he said.

He said that this was a tremendous patronage of the airspace in recent time following the improved air navigation services within the nation’s airspace.