The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has advised pilots and airline operators to exercise caution with hazardous aviation weather in the rainy season.
This circular came on the heels of the advent of the Seasonal Climate Prediction released for the year 2022 by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
This caution was contained in an advisory circular with reference no AC: NCAA-AEROMET – 33 initiated by the Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, and addressed to all pilots and airline operators.
The document was signed by the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu.
NIMET had predicted early/late March as the commencement of the rainy season across the southern states while April/May and June, 2022 is the onset of the rainy season in the central and northern parts of Nigeria.
The NCAA in its address advised that “Flight crews/operators and ATCs shall ensure strict adherence to aerodrome operating minima.
“Pilots shall exercise maximum restraint whenever adverse weather is observed or forecast by NIMET.”
It added, “Pilots /flight crew members shall obtain adequate departure, en-route and destination weather information and briefing from NIMET aerodrome meteorological stations prior to flight operations.”
The regulatory authority urged all stakeholders to ensure strict compliance to safety regulations as violations would be viewed seriously while passengers were advised to exercise patience and understanding as their safety is of utmost importance.
