Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, has announced that the Nigerian government has taken delivery of a calibration aircraft worth $8.5 million that will serve in the calibration of navigational aids across Nigerian airports.
Sirika said on his twitter handle on Thursday that the aircraft would help make Nigeria’s airspace safer.
“Just received new calibration aircraft for the country. Make is king air 350i. Cost $8.5m.
“The agony of contracting it to South Africa or Niger at about $500k every 6 months is over. Our airspace is safer.
“Thanks Mr. President, we started & finished during your regime,” the report by Nigeria’s Channels Television quoted the minister as saying.
The report added that the minister said: “The purpose of this aircraft is to calibrate our equipment and aids in the country for the purpose of flight operations.
“We used to have one in Nigeria but for the last two decades, we never had one.”
According to the minister, the decision to procure the aircraft is because during the reconstruction of the Abuja airport the need to re-calibrate all the landing aids at the time became apparent.
GIK/APA