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Domestic flights resumed from Accra to Kumasi last Friday after almost a week’s suspension following hazy harmattan that hit parts of the country.

However, flights from Accra to Tamale were yet to begin because the weather conditions in the northern regional capital were still not good for flight services.

In Accra,  Africa World, one of the domestic airlines, successfully resumed flights from Accra to Kumasi.
The Manager, Corporate Communications at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Mr Eric Mireku Amaning, told the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday that visibility in Kumasi had improved considerably, making it possible for flight services to resume.

“The Meteorological Agency could give clearance for the operation of airlines, but the decision to fly or not is subject to the standards of the airlines.”, he said.

According to him, the decision by airlines to fly was usually taken based on precautionary measures and the safety of the passengers. 

He debunked claims that the GCAA had issued directives restricting flights until December 15, 2015.

Last week, domestic airlines suspended their services because of poor visibility arising out of the hazy harmattan.

According to aviation officials, visibility had reduced from between 3,000 and 4,000 metres to 400 and 800 metres.

Kumasi

From Kumasi, Daniel Kenu reports that about 1 p.m. last Friday, the Africa World aircraft landed at the Kummasi Internnational Airport, while other flights were expected later that day.

At the time of filing this report, it was unknown whether the aircraft could operate at night as the GCAA was still monitoring the weather conditions.

A meteorological officer at the Kumasi International Airport, Mr Isaac Taki Tetteh, said the night flight could even be clearer than the afternoon but added that it was too early to conclude.

The dust particles from the North-Eastern Trade Winds (NETW) affected visibility for a week, which made it difficult for pilots to see clearly.

Mr Tetteh said currently the visibility had improved to 3,000 metres or three kilometres from an initial one kilometre.

Mr Tetteh said in the aviation industry, the visibility standard was five kilometres, but anything above two kilometres could be ideal for aircraft to operate.

Tamale

From Tamale, Samuel Duodu, reports that flights to and from the Tamale Airport have still not resumed because of poor weather conditions.

The management of the Tamale Airport took the decision to suspend domestic flights services last Thursday, December 3 because of poor visibility.

Bad weather conditions

The Tamale Airport Manager, Mr Michael Omane Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that until the weather conditions improved, there would not be any flight services to and from the Tamale Airport.

Mr Mensah could not tell when the airport would resume operations but added that “we will start work when the weather conditions become stabilised.”

Aviation officials at the airport said until the expansion work on the runway at the airport was completed and equipped with instrument landing system (ILS) and Aircraft Ground lights (AGL), flights could not land or take off in the event of such bad weather conditions as being experienced now.