By Emmanuel Nduka
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that air passengers may face flight delays, cancellations over weather conditions.
Thus, the NCAA has advised pilots and airline operators to delay, cancel or divert flights whenever they are threatened with visibility.
The warning was contained in the NCAA Weather Advisory Circular dated November 29, 2021, signed by NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu and circulated to all players in the Nigerian aviation industry.
The circular, which drew weather forecast from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), stated that absence of rain in October in the North and late November/December in the South could cause severe dust haze and early morning fog, especially along the coastal areas.
It said this instance could reduce horizontal visibility to less than 200 meters during the period of November 2021 to March 2022. The visibility reduction could also affect runways, markers and airfield lightings, it explained in the statement.
“Aerodrome visibility may fall below the prescribed operating minima and in severe conditions, dust haze can blot out runways, markers and airfield lightings over wide areas making visual navigation extremely difficult or impossible; and flights are bound to be delayed, diverted, or cancelled where terminal visibility falls below the prescribed aerodrome operating minima,” the statement read.
The statement further directed air traffic controllers to close airspace when needed as well as adhere to published weather advisories.
It also directed pilots and flight crew members to exercise maximum restraint whenever adverse weather was observed while urging operators to cushion the effects of flight delays or cancellations on their passengers.
