Lagos — Thousands of air passengers were stranded at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Wednesday due to inclement weather. The Minister of Aviation, Mr. Babatunde Omotoba, who was scheduled to commission the Air Filed Lighting (AFL) at the airport, had his trip from Abuja to Port Harcourt delayed by about six hours due to the harmattan haze.

He arrived at the Port Harcourt Airport at about 4.30 pm for the ceremony scheduled for 9am. Scores of passengers traveling for the Yuletide from Port Harcourt were stranded at the Airport. Worse hit were passengers traveling to the Eastern and Northern parts of the country as most airlines either delayed or cancelled their flights.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) recently issued a directive alerting airlines and pilots to the hazards of impending harmattan haze. Consequently, the agency has made it mandatory for all pilots to obtain adequate departure, en route and destination weather information from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) before take-off.

Director General of the NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, said the essence of the directive was to help prevent accidents caused by such phenomenon as harmattan. “Pilots shall recognise harmattan haze as a hazard and exercise maximum restraint when the condition is observed or forecast,” Demuren said.

According to him, the effect of harmattan is comparable to that of heavy fog, which reduces air-to-ground visibility. Cautioning airlines and pilots to be wary of season, Demuren said “aerodrome visibility may fall below the prescribed minima and in severe conditions, dust haze can blot out runways and markers over wide areas making navigation impossible.”

He advised further that where terminal visibility was below the described weather minima, pilots should delay, divert or even cancel flights. Demuren said the regulatory agency would not hesitate to sanction airlines or pilots found wanting during the harmattan season.

source: allafrica.com