Airlines divert flights over bad weather

Heavy rain and poor visibility prevented domestic aircraft yesterday from landing at Lagos airport with aviation authorities directing them to go back to airports of departure and aerodromes.

The rain, which started at about 3.30pm, forced the aircraft to return to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar and other airports as the “prevailing weather minima was below the prescribed 1,800 metres”.

Most pilots would not land an aircraft in bad weather if “the minima is not above 1,800 metres”.

At the new Lagos Domestic Terminal, scores of passengers waited for over one hour for their scheduled flights due to the delay in arrival of aircraft.

Some airlines, it was learnt, had to combine flights on some destinations to enable them meet up with the backlog of passengers at the terminal.

Mostly affected were flights into Abuja from Lagos as well as into Southeastern routes such as Owerri, Enugu and Asaba.

Last December, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued a weather alert to pilots indicating hazards associated with Inclement in flight operations.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, said the alert was important since bad weather was known to pose threat to aircraft, particularly in areas of challenging terrains due to low visibility.

He urged pilots to obtain adequate departure, en route and destination weather information and briefing from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) prior to flight operations.

He advised pilots to exercise maximum restraint when strong surface wind, fog or harmattan haze is observed or forecast.

He said the alert was in line with the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the cessation of rainy season in 2014.