International flights operations resume at Lagos airport after landing equipment upgrade

Foreign airlines have resumed operations at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos after the installation of a category III instrument landing system (ILS).

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said the newly installed navigational aid would help aeroplanes land in almost zero visibility situations.

Foreign and local flight operations had been disrupted in recent times at the Lagos Airport due to a harmattan haze that affected visibility.

“In its commitment to passenger safety and security, the federal government has recently taken the decision to upgrade the navigational facilities at some major airports across the country,” he explained.

“Consequently, the navigational aids at airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Asaba, etc. were all marked for an upgrade from Category II instrument landing system (CAT II ILS) to top-of-the-class CAT III ILS.

“Both Abuja and Lagos airports were calibrated. The CAT III ILS is working perfectly here in Abuja.

“Some airlines opted to divert their flights to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, which, by the way, does not even have a CAT III ILS but where the weather was not as adverse as that in Lagos.

“Many travellers bound for Nigeria became stranded.

“Again, this is much regretted. Of course, the same flights could have been diverted to Abuja, which has a perfectly-functioning CAT III ILS and where flights to Lagos are regular. But they instead chose to fly to Accra.

“Even the Kotoka International Airport that most flights were diverted to does not have CAT III ILS.”

According to Mohammed, some incorrect readings were discovered on the equipment installed in Lagos and the weather situation worsened before the landing system could be recalibrated.

He said the CAT II ILS at the runway 18R (international runway), which became the only option at the Lagos airport, could only function with a minimum visibility of 800 metres compared to zero visibility for CAT III ILS.

The minister said the situation has been rectified and the Lagos airport is ready for international flight operations.