Aviation satellite network outmoded — Kofi Adda

The Minister of Aviation, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, has said a recent technical audit of an aviation satellite network which provides voice and data interconnectivity for flights in the Africa Region indicated that the network was outmoded.

He also said the rapid pace of network expansion had brought about challenges of interconnectivity and interoperability in the sector.

The network supported the provision of air navigation services in West and Central Africa, the Indian Ocean and beyond.

Comprising 70 earth stations, the network supported fixed and mobile aeronautical telecommunication services and other critical safety services.

Event

The minister was speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting of aviation agencies in Africa and some countries located in the Indian Ocean (AFI) in Accra yesterday.

Among issues to be discussed at the three-day AFI Satellite Network Management Committee Meeting is how to improve and modernise the work of the network, including the replacement of the obsolete satellite.

Managed by four agencies in the region, the AFI Satellite Network (AFISNET), which was installed 25 years ago, has been rendered obsolete in the face of technological advancement, the non-availability of spare parts and technical support.

The participating agencies are the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, the Roberts Flight Information Region (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) and the Agency for the Safety of Aerial Navigation in Africa and Madagascar, which also manages the space for countries, namely, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa.

Re-engineering

Mr Adda called for the re-engineering of the network, which began in 2012.

He said so far technical specifications for the replacement of the obsolete network had been developed and said the major issue now was how to fund a new network.

He, therefore, urged the participants to come up with decisions that would improve efficiency and effectiveness in the aeronautical systems in the region.

Touching on Ghana’s performance in the aviation industry, he said it remained committed to ensuring safety through the provision of efficient networks and technical expertise and funding.

He said various interventions in the sector demonstrated the government’s commitment to make Ghana an aviation hub in Africa.

Objective

The Director-General of the GCAA, Mr Simon Allotey, said the satellite network was funded by the European Union (EU) and commissioned in 1994 as a medium for re-integration to provide digital and modern aeronautical services for the region.

Since its establishment, he said, the network had employed mainly point-to-point communication between adjacent air traffic control centres in West and Central Africa.

Additionally, he said, it eliminated deficiencies in data and voice communication and also contributed to improve air navigation safety in the region.