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Travel plans to be disrupted as NCAA warns over harmattan haze
- NAMA to decline clearance for take-off
As the harmattan bites harder in Northern parts of Nigeria, the lack of capacity to handle the situation has once again come to the fore as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called on all passengers to exercise restraint during adverse weather which may hamper their travel plans.
The NCAA in a statement gave the advice, saying it is important due to the spate of delays and cancellations occasioned by inclement weather en-route most of the nation’s airports.
Spokesman for the aviation regulatory body, Sam Adurogboye said during the week, most parts of the country witnessed adverse weather conditions which prevented most scheduled and non-scheduled flights from providing services.
Earlier, the regulatory authority, had issued a Weather Alert Circular to all Pilots and Airline Operators on the impending adverse weather.
The circular forewarned all operators on the inherent danger associated with harmattan dust haze as regards flight operations at this time of the year.
Adurogboye stated that the prevailing weather condition is likely to herald a long and severe dust haze in the months ahead, adding that during this period, air- to – ground visibility may be considerably reduced due to the dust haze.
He said in addition, aerodrome visibility may fall below the prescribed minima due to the severe conditions.
“Dust haze can blot runways, the markings and airfield lightings over wide areas. These make visual navigation extremely difficult or impossible. Under these kinds of adverse conditions air travel is bound to suffer delays and cancellations”.
He advised passengers to exercise restraint when their travels suffer these fates. Pilots are merely observing what is contained in the departure, en route and destination weather which might sometimes necessitate outright cancellation.
He noted that when these happen, the airline and the pilots are strictly adhering to the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
His words, “However, operating airlines are expected to share as much information as possible with passengers on the progress of their respective flights in line with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015 Part 19.
Not a few believe that the growth of aviation industry in Nigeria and the increased adoption of air transportation as one of the best means of transport have been obstructed by various weather hazards.
To them, there is a greater need for aviation weather forecasters to deliver quality forecasts. It is therefore necessary to identify the most dangerous and most common weather hazards which are detrimental to the aviation industry so as to enhance the expertise on addressing them.
The northern part of Nigeria is expected to be worst hit by the current harmattan haze.
A source told Woleshadare.net that airlines are already counting what their losses would be because many flights would be cancelled during the period and particularly during the Yuletide if the situation worsens.
The NCAA has also directed airlines and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to decline clearance for pilots if weather minimum or visibility is less than 800 meters.
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