Airlines count losses over bad weather

Airlines in Nigeria, as well as foreign carriers operating in the country, are still counting their losses following the harmattan haze that peaked in recent days. This week has been particularly turbulent for many foreign airlines, which had to divert their flights to Accra, Ghana, Cotonou in Benin Republic and other West African countries, while […]

Airlines in Nigeria, as well as foreign carriers operating in the country, are still counting their losses following the harmattan haze that peaked in recent days.

This week has been particularly turbulent for many foreign airlines, which had to divert their flights to Accra, Ghana, Cotonou in Benin Republic and other West African countries, while some had to cancel their flights.

On Wednesday, nearly all international flights to the -Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, were either cancelled, delayed or diverted.

Crisis started on Tuesday when British Airways, Delta and Qatar Airways diverted to Accra. Other airlines like Emirates and Etihad also delayed their flights for hours on Wednesday due to weather issues.

The British Airways manager for West Africa, Mr. Kola Olayinka had told Daily Trust Saturday that over 600 passengers of the airline had their travel plans disrupted.

It was learnt that the BA had concluded plans to hire a charter operator to move its stranded passengers from Accra to Lagos.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had granted approval for airlines to fly to other airports in Nigeria, especially Abuja, where the weather was relatively fair.

The Nigerian Civil  Aviation Authority (NCAA) yesterday appealed to passengers for understanding over the prevailing flight delays and cancellations due to the adverse weather situation.