The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Tuesday said it has resuscitated its $5.8 million Flight Safety Laboratory at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
AIB’s spokesman, Tunji Oketunbi, said in a statement that the Bureau’s Commissioner, Akin Olateru, made the disclosure at training in Abuja.
According to Olateru, the training was facilitated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Singaporean Government.
Olateru said the agency has also trained staff on the handling of the laboratory, which was constructed and equipped in 2012.
The commissioner noted that the management had signed a contract with a Canadian firm, CEA/Flightscape in 2011 to install state-of-the-art equipment in its new laboratory.
The laboratory was designed to download information from Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), among others he said.
He said: “The summary of the matter is that the laboratory was not working when I took over as the commissioner.
“I made it a priority to resuscitate the laboratory considering its importance to the discharge of AIB’s responsibilities.
“I galvanised all the necessary quarters to achieve this mission. ICAO and the Singaporean government agreed to help.
“First I charged our ICT compound to get the laboratory running, which they successfully did. So, I can confidently tell you that the laboratory is working.
“However, we need the in-house capacity to manage it and maximise the benefits of the facility. This is where ICAO has come in.”
Olateru said the optimum performance of the laboratory was central to the Bureau’s contribution to safety in Nigeria and the sub-region.
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