In Lagos, international flights face difficulties due to bad weather. Flights are being diverted to Ghana till the Lagos Murtala Muhammed fixes the category 3 instrument landing system.
British Airways and Emirate Airlines are among the carriers that have been unable to land at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and were instead rerouted to Ghana. The diversions are ruining travel plans for many of their customers, according to statements emailed to affected passengers.
The diversion was as a result of poor weather in Lagos, which is Nigeria’s commercial hub, and inadequate equipment to check visibility, according to the country’s Ministry of Aviation.
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation tweeted that they are in the process of replacing the old Category 2 Instrument Landing Systems with the newly procured Category 3 system that allows for the lowest visibility landing.
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) works as a signal navigation aid that guides pilots when landing in low visibility. Airport authorities in Lagos experienced difficulties replacing their old ILS with a new one, making it impossible for airplanes to land.
Passengers and Airlines Response
Passengers stranded at the Kotoka International Airport in the Ghana city of Accra have reacted angrily, saying it would have been easier if flights had been rerouted to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
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Fola Olatunji-David, a technology entrepreneur whose February 11 flight to Lagos was diverted, says British Airways has not made provisions to take them back to Nigeria after initial promises to do so.
Olatunji-David and other passengers have been in Accra for about three days, waiting for flights back to Lagos. He says many flights are fully booked, making it difficult to secure tickets back home.
British Airways has not responded publicly to this. However, in statements sent to passengers, the airline blamed poor visibility at the Lagos airport and promised to cover passenger’s hotel, internet, and refreshments costs.
In the meantime, the aviation ministry says it is trying to get back to normal. Officials approved diversion of more recent flights to Abuja, the country’s capital city.
Airlines like Qatar Airlines have already applied to redirect their flights to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport in Abuja and got approval for it.
