25-04-2025
NiMet strike: Why airports dey depend on meteorological agencies?
Nigeria airports see kasala after di country meteorological agency NiMet go on strike over unpaid wages.
Flight delays and cancellations happen for Lagos, Abuja and Kano airports.
Workers from NiMet march for di street of Lagos, wit placards wey read: "No weather, no flight; fly at your own risk."
While one airline, United Nigeria Airlines, say dem bin dey find alternative sources for weather information, anoda airline, Air Peace, bin announce di suspension of all flight operations on Thursday.
Di strike now don dey called off for two weeks after Nigeria Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo meet with NiMet unions on Thursday.
Dis na three key reasons why meteorology dey important to aviation:
Safety
While e dey safe to fly inside bad weather, meteorological agencies fit alert pilots to any significant weather hazards, like thunderstorms, icing or low visibility caused by low clouds or fog.
Turbulence for flight dey very common, however thunderstorms fit make am more serious, putting passengers safety at risk.
While turbulence dey highly unlikely to make plane crash, e dey known to cause severe injuries to passengers – and even death.
Aviation forecasts fit also identify areas of Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), wey be wen temperature change create different wind speeds and direction.
Pilots fit use dis weather information to den fly around areas of turbulence to minimise any danger or to cancel flight altogether.
For Nigeria, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms dey more common at certain times of di year – e make weather information all modire important.
"Any time you get widespread thunderstorm outbreak, e fit dey dangerous," George Delanjian, one aviation meteorologist based in US tok.
"Lightening fit strike di aircraft and serious turbulence fit happen. In most cases, meteorologists know wen and wia thunderstorms go happen."
Weather information dey also become more important for flight safety, sake of say some studies show say instances of serious turbulence dey increase, wey fit be due to climate change.
Efficiency
Information about di weather dey crucial for pilots wey dey prepare a flight plan. Di temperature, humidity, pressure and wind fit impact di ability to maintain a safe flying altitude and di ability to reach di destination with enough fuel.
Information about jet streams – wey be strong bands of winds – fit help di plane to arrive more quickly at im destination. Flight plan fit also include alternate airports wey di plane fit divert too if change in weather conditions happen.
"Meteorological agencies go provide information to airport as part of Meteorological Aerodrome Report [METAR] - wey be hourly reports wey show di current weather and Terminal Aerodrome Forecast [TAF] - wey give di forecast throughout di day," Simon King, BBC meteorologist tok.
"Any pilot absolutely suppose get am to plan dia flights. For example, if di weather for di airport wia plane dey due to land no dey favourable, pilots fit dey aware of oda airports to divert to - while making sure say enough fuel dey to do so."
So, weather reports no dey just about safety, dem dey also help airlines to save time, fuel and money.
Ground operations
Weather information dey just as important on di ground as e dey for di pilots in di sky. Meteorological agencies provide airports with information wey dey prepare dem for conditions wey fit affect di runway visibility and di ability to take off and land safely. In particular, pilots go dey look di forecasts for di speed and direction of di wind. Dis go affect di runway di pilot go use.
Weather information fit also help make decisions on de-icing procedures, di loading and unloading of aircraft and re-fuelling.
"If thunderstorm dey, planes no dey allowed to refuel in case of lightening," King add.
