NiMet Issues Harmattan Visibility Advisory for Northern Airports

The advisory prompted several carriers to build extra schedule buffers into flights serving Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri, where dust haze has historically forced diversions and delays during the harmattan season.

Safety Desk · 5 December 2018 · 2 min read

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) issued a visibility advisory on 5 December 2018 covering airports across the north, warning of reduced visibility from harmattan dust expected to persist into the new year.

Airlines Build in Schedule Buffers

Several domestic carriers said they were adding extra buffer time to flights serving Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri, airports that have historically seen dust-related diversions and delays during the peak harmattan months.

A Recurring Seasonal Pattern

NiMet said the advisory reflected a recurring seasonal pattern rather than an unusual event, but urged airlines and airport operators to review contingency plans given the volume of December and January holiday travel through the affected airports.