The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Sunday instructed Air Traffic controllers (ATCs) to temporarily close the airspace during hazardous weather conditions.

The agency also advised pilots and airline operators to exercise caution during flight operations in such weather conditions.

This is contained in an Advisory Circular (AC) with reference no AC: NCAA-AEROMET – 27 addressed to all Pilots and Airline Operators and signed by the NCAA Director-General, Capt. Muhtar Usman.

Usman said the advisory circular is sequel to the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) released for the year 2019 by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

According to him, NIMET has predicted March/April and May/June 2019 as the commencement of rainy season in Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria, which is usually accompanied with turbulence.

“This is in addition to micro-burst, low-level wind share and sometimes events that could affect the safety of flight operations.

“With this information, it is expected that ATCs may temporarily close the airspace when there are adverse weather conditions.

“Consequently, Flight Crews/Operators and ATCs shall ensure strict adherence to aerodrome operating minima in line with standard and recommend practices,” he said.

He added that all pilots are, therefore, obliged to exercise maximum restraint whenever severe weather condition is observed or forecast by NIMET.

The director-general said for the purpose of safe flight operations, pilots/flight crew members should obtain adequate departure, en route and destination weather information from NIMET before any flight.

Usman, therefore, advised operators to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to lessen the effects of the attendant flight delays and cancellations on their passengers due to severe weather conditions.

According to him, the operators are to adhere to the provisions part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2015 which deals with such issues.

He, further, urged all passengers to exercise patience and understanding during this period as their safety was of utmost importance.

Usman also advised all stakeholders to ensure strict compliance to safety regulations as violations would be viewed seriously.