The Harmattan is a season in the West African subcontinent, which occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea.
This year, there’s been a report of the Dust Haze wind blowing in from the Sahara Desert may disrupt flights to and from the Nigerian commercial capital, Lagos, until the end of February.
According to Bloomberg Africa, poor visibility this week forced carriers including British Airways, Emirates Airline, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise to reroute flights to Abuja, the capital, and neighbouring Ghana and Togo.
The problem was compounded by faulty landing equipment at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which prevented planes from landing, according to the Aviation Ministry.
“The weather changed and Harmattan just came all of a sudden. Visibility became extremely poor, but I am sure before a twinkle of an eye two weeks will be gone and we will have a safe sky,” said Bankole Bernard, president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies.
A new landing system is being installed in Lagos to provide a more efficient guide to aircraft arriving at the airport, the Aviation Ministry said Feb. 13.
