Poor visibility: NCAA cautions pilots, airlines

…Passengers stranded at Lagos airport

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has advised pilots and airline operators to exercise caution over a three-day dust haze beginning from Monday to Wednesday.

A statement by the Acting Director General of NCAA, Capt Chris Najomo, said the dust haze will cut across the country.

Najomo said the warning was contained in a statement by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) alerting the public to the possibility of deterioration in visibility as a result of observed dust haze propagated into the country.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday predicted moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility range from 2km to 5km over the North.

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It envisaged moderate dust haze with a horizontal visibility range of 2km to 5km, and localised horizontal visibility of less than or equal to 1000m over the North central.

The agency forecast dust haze over the inland of the South and the coastal region throughout the forecast period.

It added that moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility range of 2km to 5km is anticipated over the northern region on Tuesday.

The statement reads in part, “Moderate dust haze with a horizontal visibility range of 2kn to 5km, and localised horizontal visibility of less than or equal to 1000m is anticipated over the North central. It is also anticipated in the inland of the South and the coastal region of the country throughout the forecast period”, it said.

Meanwhile, passengers were stranded at the Lagos airport Monday morning as scheduled flights did not take off, especially that of Ibom Air.

One of the frequent flyers of Ibom Air and a prominent television presenter, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju wrote on social media, “I am a frequent Ibom Air flyer. I met many of my co-flyers on this flight. Everyone was complaining. Recently, their delays have become perennial. That’s why I am calling them out. We cannot let them go below their previous standards at all.

Another stranded passenger, one of the airline’s most frequent flyers and a high ranking government official told our correspondent, “As their prices are going up, the standard of service is going down”!

“That’s not complementary at all. Many are now going to ValueJet. I sat at the airport and watched other airlines board ahead of us. We were still in Lagos when those passengers landed in Abuja! Same take off scheduled time oo!

“We used to look at other airlines with pity when Ibom was a stickler for time. Now we are the ones they pitied. Not good at all!

“Ibom Air is my first choice in local flights. I am usually a brand loyalist. It’s difficult for me to change brands so I need Ibom Air to brush up.”

Another passenger who also experienced Ibom Air delay on another route over the weekend said, “I experienced cancellation from Abuja to Calabar on Saturday on Ibom Air. I had to pay #30,000 extra per night for a hotel at my own cost. My plans were disrupted. It’s so painful”.

But unconfirmed report said the delay might have been associated with non availability of aviation fuel supply to the airline as other airlines took off on scheduled.

All efforts to get the Public Affairs department officials for comments proved abortive as they failed to take telephone calls or respond to messages.