Pilots Advised On Safety During Rains

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren has advised pilots to be aware of the weather this rainy season and comply with the advice of the duty air traffic controller.

Dr Demuren who gave the advice in Lagos during a media briefing said the rainy season is being accompanied with the hazards posed by thunder-storm to flight operations.

According to him, it also manifest in the form of turbulence, lightening, wind shift and reduce feasibility.

The worst in the scenario is that the Nigerian aviation industry is given two runways within the last one week in Benin and Port Harcourt, he said. Worried by the situation, the NCCA asked pilots to be aware of the adverse weather situation with the reality that thunderstorm can pose severe threat to the operation of aircraft.

Apart from the fact that the runway is easily wet and sometimes flooded during the rains, the problem is compounded by lack of air field lightening system which exposes the flight to danger during landing.

To avert disaster, local flights land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, which has resulted in delaying, cancellation of flights and congestion. Given the volume of international flight that arrive at the airport, air travellers are however, optimistic that the management takes urgent measures to address these lapses.