The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has warned pilots and airline operators to exercise caution over a three-day dust haze lasting from Monday to Wednesday across the country.
Acting Director General of NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, issued the warning in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, on Monday.
He said that the warning was necessary in view of the weather report of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET, released on Sunday.
The weather report alerted the public on the possibility of deterioration in visibility as a result of observed dust haze propagated into the country.
OsunDailyNG reported that NiMet’s weather outlook predicted moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility range from 2km to 5km over the North.
The NCAA urged passengers to exercise patience and understanding during the period, as their safety was of utmost importance.
The regulatory body’s warning to airlines on safety comes days after it suspended the permit of Mattini Airline Services Ltd pending completion of investigations into a runway excursion involving a Challenger CL 601 aircraft, operated by the firm.
The private jet operated by the airline which had departed Abuja with 15 persons on board, overshot the runway while landing at Ibadan Airport on Friday.
NCAA, following the incident, said it had also initiated a safety and economic audit of all private jet operations in Nigeria.
It assured the travelling public of its utmost commitment to safety and the entrenchment of global best practices.
