Passengers warned to expect flight delays and cancellations because of harmattan

Passengers should expect flight delays, diversions or cancellations, owing to poor terminal visibility caused by the current harmattan haze, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has said.

The Director General of the agency, Harold Demuren, said this on Monday in Lagos in an advisory circular he issued to all pilots and airline operators.

It was made available to aviation journalists by the agency’s spokesman, Sam Adurogboye.

“Where terminal visibility falls below the prescribed weather minima, flights are bound to be delayed, diverted or cancelled.

“This advisory circular is intended to alert all pilots to the hazards of harmattan haze and it offers guidance to help prevent accidents caused by this weather phenomenon.

“The airlines and their flight crews should keep passengers informed of the situation and of the potential for flight delays and possible cancellations. Safety considerations must always be the highest priority,” Mr. Demuren said.

Mr. Demuren said the harmattan haze was usually comparable to heavy fog, and could considerably reduce air-to-ground visibility.

He added that during this period, Aerodrome visibility might fall below the prescribed minimal standard.

“And in severe conditions, dust haze can blot out runways and markers over wide areas, making visual navigation impossible”, he said.

Mr. Demuren advised pilots to recognize harmattan haze as a hazard and exercise maximum restraint when the condition was observed or forecast.

He said that it is mandatory for all pilots to obtain weather briefing from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET.

“This should include departure, en-route and destination weather information prior to flight operations”, he said.

Flights coming in and out of Lagos were last Friday delayed for several hours, owing to the harmattan haze.

[NAN]