MMIA: No functional runway, approach lights force landing int’l flights to Accra
International flights coming to Lagos from abroad have continued to divert landing in Lagos to Accra International Airport where runway and approach lights are visible due to their regular maintenance.
Otherwise, foreign Airlines into the Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos had in the last couple of days been finding it difficult to land due to the recent Category 3 instrument Landing system (ILS) recently installed by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), to aid seamless landing are not fully in use due to the absence of Runway and approach lights.
Checks by Business Hilights in Lagos airports with confirmation from our Ghana Bureau chief showed that several foreign visitors to Lagos had had to face the ordeal of landing first in Ghana before entering Lagos using any means possible due to poor visibility for landing.
Starting from Monday, some airlines had to divert their flights yesterday evening because the visibility was not good enough for landing.
Tuesday, findings show further fluctuations in landing visibility as the ILS is yet to receive any form of repair attention from relevant authorities as momentary hazy weather situation rattles the skies.
Experts who spoke to our correspondent revealed that due to the poor state of the ILS and fluctuating, chances are that strong impediments will continue to affect international aircraft landing and takeoff.
According to them, the Category 3 ILS cannot work in isolation without the aid of the runway and approach lights which are expected to have been installed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
It would be recalled that the said runway and approach lights were supposed to have been upgraded by FAAN with the recently installation of the Category 3 ILS by NAMA, but checks revealed otherwise as at Tuesday, 07 January 2020.
Aside, Lagos, other International airports visibility like Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt are said to be good for takeoff and landing except for Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar which is suffering similar fate with Lagos Airport.
