Iyayi proposes virtual towers to tackle manpower shortage

Former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, Rolland Iyayi, has suggested virtual control towers to bridge the shortage of manpower currently facing Air Traffic Controllers in Nigeria.

According to Iyayi, the virtual tower is a new innovation that allows a control tower to provide aeronautical aids for landing and take-offs for multiple airports. This development, Iyayi said, will help the Nigerian government and NAMA achieve sufficiency in the face of the current manpower shortage.

Iyayi said this while delivering his keynote address at the 2025 Annual General Meeting with the theme: Safety, Efficiency and Innovation, the Triple Mandate of Air Traffic Engineering, held on Friday in Lagos.

“I understand that recently the Air Traffic Controllers are short-staffed, and you can resolve that through a virtual control tower, where a tower can service another airport from a distance through the aid of technology. I will give a very good example: this virtual control tower is a new technology and it’s proven, and I will give a very good example. The London Docklands (London City) Airport does not have a control tower. It is actually controlled from a facility in England, and that is about 250 miles away.

“More and more, in recognition that we have shortages, a lot of countries are already adopting technologies and strategies that help. For instance, why do we not have a virtual control centre located, maybe in Port Harcourt, with experienced ATC, with video cameras on the airports, and through that they can see what is happening in those airports, other than having human bodies sit at every airport?”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubumi Kuku, while commending the work done by air traffic engineers, reiterated the importance of inter-agency cooperation, stressing that no institution can thrive in isolation.

Kuku, who was represented by the General Manager of Safety, Mrs. Ifeoma Mba, said it gave her “immense pleasure and a deep sense of pride” to address the gathering at the pivotal 2025 Annual General Meeting.

She praised the theme of the meeting, “Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation: The Triple Mandate of Air Traffic Engineers,” describing it as more than a slogan but a strategic framework on which a resilient and competitive aviation ecosystem must be built.

Mba said, “Distinguished engineers, your work is the silent, steadfast heartbeat of aviation safety. While the visible elements of air travel capture public attention, it is your expertise that powers the invisible network, the radars that see, the navigation aids that guide, the communication systems that connect, and the surveillance infrastructure that assures.”

She noted that every safe landing and take-off depends on “the technical integrity maintained by air traffic engineers,” stressing that FAAN recognises the symbiotic relationship between airport operations and the systems maintained.

According to her, airport terminals function seamlessly only because the technical systems in the towers and on the field operate without fail.

Mba added that the Annual General Meeting provides a vital platform for professional exchange and policy dialogue, with collaboration and knowledge-sharing directly translating into improved safety and efficiency across Nigeria’s air navigation system.

She cited ageing infrastructure, rapid technological advancement, and rising traffic demand as key challenges confronting the sector, adding that only collective effort can provide sustainable solutions.