Message from the Secretary General
I am excited as we approach 2025, when Roberts FIR will be 50 years of existence. It is a journey worth celebrating, looking back where we started in 1975, when the three member states of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone set up an aeronautical cooperation to provide air navigation services for en-route flights in their combined upper airspace, which has a total area of 777,770 km2. In the spirit of the Chicago Convention of 1944 of ICAO, this cooperative venture metamorphosed into the signing of an Aeronautical Accord that established the Roberts FIR with the mandate to expeditiously provide air navigation services, to ensure air traffic safety, efficiency, and regularity in the combined airspace of the three member states.
Prior to 2016/2017, our ATM systems and equipment were old and obsolete, and their spare parts could no longer be found on the market, which posed a lot of safety challenges. Our dilapidating situation caught us in meetings with IATA and ICAO, wanting to sanction us, except we stepped up to embark on overhauling our ATM systems. We immediately planned for a multi-million dollar investment project to have a new ATM system with a supplier, INTELCAN, and in spite of the disturbances from Ebola and COVID-19, I am proud to announce the successful implementation and 90% completion of our new ATM system, providing coverage to our entire airspace along with the implementation of ADS-B technology and an uninterrupted power supply, 95% of which mainly comes from our reliable solar plant, making us operate in an eco-green environment.
Prior to 2016/2017, our ATM systems and equipment were old and obsolete, and their spare parts could no longer be found on the market, which posed a lot of safety challenges. Our dilapidating situation caught us in meetings with IATA and ICAO, wanting to sanction us, except we stepped up to embark on overhauling our ATM systems. We immediately planned for a multi-million dollar investment project to have a new ATM system with a supplier, INTELCAN, and in spite of the disturbances from Ebola and COVID-19, I am proud to announce the successful implementation and 90% completion of our new ATM system, providing coverage to our entire airspace along with the implementation of ADS-B technology and an uninterrupted power supply, 95% of which mainly comes from our reliable solar plant, making us operate in an eco-green environment.
We have also this year (2024) successfully implemented CPDLC and ADS-C technologies in our airspace with SITA as the provider of the communication data link with a seamless integration with our existing ATM systems. As a result, we have seen improvements in communication reliability, reduced response time, and enhanced situational awareness for both pilots and our air traffic controllers. I am confident that the implementation of CPDLC technology will enable the Roberts FIR to monitor and ensure total coverage of our airspace, including the oceanic portion of the three member states. This has strongly positioned us in the global aviation industry to contribute to the overall safety and efficiency of air traffic management in our region and sub-region to meet the demands of modern aircraft that are CPDLC-equipped
I want to thank our close collaborators, like ICAO, IATA, CANSO, AFCAC, BAGASOO, and the CAAs of our member states, for their guidance and technical support throughout these years. Because of you, we are in business, and I doff my hat to you. To our hard-working staff, I say thank you.
As Chief Executive for the next four years, I will continue to oversee policy implementation with zero tolerance for safety and prioritize staff training and welfare.
Please join us in 2025 as we prepare to celebrate Robert's FIR at 50.
Thank you.
As Chief Executive for the next four years, I will continue to oversee policy implementation with zero tolerance for safety and prioritize staff training and welfare.
Please join us in 2025 as we prepare to celebrate Robert's FIR at 50.
Thank you.
Emil Rogers, Secretary General