AeroMechanical Services/FLYHT™ and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Unveil Flight Tracking Operations Command Centre in Lagos
AeroMechanical Services is a publicly traded Canadian aviation data and technology company that has been in business for over a decade. Its FLYHT brand, together with the NCAA, formed a partnership in March of 2010 and have worked together to develop the OCC. In addition to setting up this command centre, FLYHT’s main product is its Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRSTM) which operates on multiple aircraft types and provides functions such as voice and text messaging, data collection and transmission, engine/airframe exceedance data, credit card validation and on-demand streaming of ‘black box’ data. AFIRS sends that information to its companion, UpTime™ the ground service product, which stores and transfers the data to the customer in real-time. Aircraft operators use this information to increase safety, improve service, and enhance profitability. “Through FLYHT, we are extremely pleased to contribute to the NCAA’s status as an African leader in aviation safety,” said Derek Taylor, sales director at FLYHT. “We look forward to our sustained partnership with the NCAA to assist the Director General in achieving his goals for Nigeria and we will continue to market AFIRS to Nigeria’s airlines, as an additional feature to gather data off aircraft and to improve safety.” About the NCAA Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is the regulatory body for aviation in Nigeria. It became autonomous with the passing into law of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 by the National Assembly and assent of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Act not only empowers the Authority to regulate aviation safety without political interference, but also to carry out oversight functions of airports, airspace and meteorological services, as well as economic regulations of the industry. About FLYHT AeroMechanical Services Ltd., under the brand name FLYHT, provides proprietary technological products and services designed to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the airline industry. The company has patented and commercialized three products and associated services currently marketed to airlines, manufacturers and maintenance organizations around the world. Its premier technology, AFIRS™ UpTime™, allows airlines to monitor and manage aircraft operations anywhere, anytime, in real-time. If an aircraft encounters an emergency, AMS’s emergency data streaming mode, FLYHTStream™, automatically streams vital data, normally secured in the black box, to designated sites on the ground in real-time. The company has been publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange since 2003 under the trading symbol AMA. AFIRS, UpTime, FLYHT and FLYHTStream are Trade Marks of AeroMechanical Services Ltd.
LAGOS, Nigeria — April 2011 – AeroMechanical Services (AMA) of Calgary, Alberta, through its FLYHTTM brand, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) officially commissioned NCAA’s Flight Tracking Operations Command Centre (OCC) in Lagos, Nigeria, today.The commissioning of the new OCC took place at the NCAA headquarters in Lagos. The event featured a presentation from FLYHT on the products and services it will provide the NCAA. As well, an African airline which has used FLYHT’s on-board product for the past five years, shared information about the capabilities and benefits they have realized in using the system.
The OCC is a state-of-the-art facility that will enhance the safety of Nigeria’s aviation industry. The features of the OCC include flight following and an alerting capability that is run completely by a satellite-based system and entirely independent of radar. Satellite communications ensures aircraft are tracked anywhere on the planet, without interruption.
Dr. Harold Demuren, Director General of the NCAA spoke on behalf of the new centr. Dr. Demuren is well respected in aviation on the Nigerian and international stage. He made history in September, 2010 when he was elected as the first African to preside over the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“The NCAA now has an aircraft tracking system, and we can track precise aircraft movements within our airspace,” said Demuren, who was the key leader in achieving the FAA Category 1 Certification for Nigeria in 2010. “Safety is very important to us and it is essential that we continue to work hard to keep the CAT 1 Certification. The Operations Command Centre will also help us handle the anticipated increase of air traffic in Nigerian air space.”
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