Domestic operations have been paralised nationwide by harmattan haze, which reached its peak on Monday night.
The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had earlier warned about the harmattan haze but nobody expected the thick fog and dust that enveloped the airspace on Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel their flights.
Air Traffic Controllers who issue weather reports to pilots told THISDAY on Tuesday that all flight cancellations were as a result of bad weather, “with dust haze all over the country.”
Air passengers were stranded at various airports in the country when NIMET issued weather reports early in the morning that flights should not take place until further notice.
Airlines had to reschedule flights, hoping that the dust would ebb later in the afternoon when the sun would rise to the middle of the sky.
But Tuesday’s sunshine was dim, almost like a glimmer as dust haze covered the horizon, deflating any hope of flight operations.
A passenger who hoped to travel from Abuja to Lagos on Air Peace flight scheduled for 6:30 pm, waited at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, anxiously hoping to hear announcement for boarding, but no announcement came and later he left the airport.
Air Peace spokesman, Chris Iwarah said he was aware the airline operated one flight in the morning but low visibility did not allow the airline to operate more flights.
“As at the time I spoke with my people I was told they operated one flight in the morning from Lagos to Abuja but low visibility did now allow them to fly more flights. But we planned to fly to Port Harcourt but I cannot confirm whether we made that flight. Visibility was very low,” Iwarah said.
Arik Air passenger who is a Consultant Paediatrician, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Dr Ken Okoro told THISDAY that he was not happy that after waiting for several hours at the airport the flight was eventually cancelled.
“Nobody can question weather issues, but they should have told us about the bad weather earlier, but after waiting for several hours at the airport, the flight was cancelled,” he said.
Also flights by Medview Airline, Dana Air and First Nation Airways were also cancelled.
Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye explained that with weather there is no compromise.
“Once the visibility to an airport is below the approved weather minima, such an aerodrome is no go. That is the specification by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig, CARs). This is what is at play,” Adurogboye said.
