Air Traffic Controllers at Nassau International Airport are calling for an investigation into what caused the radar in the control tower to break down and devastate operations at NIA over the Christmas holiday weekend.
Operations were back to normal yesterday afternoon, two days after the radar blinked off around 7pm on Christmas Eve, cutting the normal flow of air traffic into Nassau significantly and affecting an estimated 6,000 travellers.
The inoperable system also impacted the tourism industry. Some hoteliers reported that the radar problem had probably reduced Christmas weekend occupancy rates by 10 percent.
“It is our recommendation that the necessary authorities conduct an investigation (into the break down of the radar), because I thought that what happened over the Christmas holiday needs to be looked into and investigated to ensure that something like that does not happen again,” Roscoe Perpall, president of the Air Traffic Controllers’ Union, told The Bahama Journal yesterday.
Mr. Perpall said that he would submit his request for an investigation to authorities as soon as he had the opportunity.
Technicians from the Department of Civil Aviation and the US Federal Aviation Administration were able to repair the radar system on Tuesday after receiving the part that had to be flown in.
According to Mr. Perpall, the system’s rotary joint failed, rendering the radar inoperable.
He described the malfunctioning part as “significant”, and wants to know why the necessary steps had not been taken that would have determined that the part was on “its way out,” before reaching a crisis stage.
“These radars are not expected to fail,” said Mr. Perpall. “During installation it was said that the system was more than 99 percent reliable. We should not under normal circumstances experience a radar failure.”
One of the concerns raised by airport officials familiar with the matter was one of a maintenance issue. An official, who asked not to be named, also pointed out that the radar was “practically new.”
Mr. Perpall noted that the radar currently being used at NIA is an “area control” radar, and that at the Nassau airport, “terminal radar” service is mainly provided.
“Therefore, after an almost $10 million investment in that radar system government is now challenged with replacing software that could be somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million to purchase,” he said.
“Those same technicians are responsible for purchasing the radar in its current condition. I don’t have great confidence that these persons who made the initial bad purchase are capable of making a good purchase in a second instance.”
Asked if he had heard that the break down may have been related to industrial action, Mr. Perpall said that he was not aware of any industrial action within the air traffic system, but added that an investigation into the malfunction would determine that.
“That’s why we are suggesting that government take the necessary steps to have this matter investigated properly and take a close look at the current procedures that we have in place, because there is too much inconvenience being caused to the flying public, especially during these busy periods,” said Mr. Perpall.
He also said that administrators within the air traffic system should have done more over the weekend to assist the flying public.
“By coming in and appraising the public as to what was going on within the air traffic system, that would have prevented some of the speculation that went on,” said Mr. Perpall.
Director of the Department of Civil Aviation, Cyril Saunders, did not return a call to The Bahama Journal yesterday. He was said to have been in meetings all day Wednesday.
By: Eica Wells,The Bahama Journal
