Hazy weather in the Northern parts of the a country Thursday pressured authorities of Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja to cancel air flights, leaving hundreds of passengers to the region stranded.
Hazy weather comes with the harmattan period and it always affects pilots’ visibility and flight cancellations is a safety measure often taken by airport authorities and airline operators to avoid ugly air incidents.
Abdullahi Saroke, Deputy Station Manager, Azman Air Services, said that all flights to the region, except Maiduguri, were affected, adding that Maiduguri’s weather was not hazy.
Saroke explained that the hazy weather started on Tuesday but got worse between Wednesday and Thursday, especially over Kano, Sokoto and Yola.
“It is a natural occurrence that is beyond human control, which is why the affected passengers must bear with the airlines.
“We are still expecting that the visibility would get better later in the evening but for now, no flight to Kano, Sokoto and Yola except Maiduguri’’, he said.
Some of the passengers reasoned with the authorities, stating the the cancellation was necessary for safety irrespective of the hardships caused by the situation.
A passenger, Josephine Manu, said she was billed to travel to Kano for an official assignment but the suspension or cancellation of the flights to the state had adversely affected her schedule.
Manu said passengers were informed that flights to the northern parts of the country could only be possible if the hazy weather over the region got better later in the day.
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