Domestic flights grounded as Harmattan blocks visibility

Domestic flights in the country have been grounded temporarily as dry and dusty Harmattan winds block aerial visibility.

Starbow Airlines for instance could not make its usual flights on Friday December 4, 2015. Apart from a morning flight to Takoradi in the Western Region on Friday, all other flights were cancelled.

Chief Execitive Officer for Starbow, James Eric Antwi, told Joy News Friday the situation is bad for business.

According to him, the halt in flights could last for at least a week.

“It is very frustrating though but it is safety issue. If the weather is bad, you cannot force your way in. You have to wait until it improves. [Visibility] is below limit,” he said.

He said curently flights to Takoradi, Kumasi, Tamale and Sunyani have all been cancelled.

The cold, dry and dusty Harmattan winds engulfs the West African subcontinent from the Sahara Desert into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March.

In Ghana it started on Tuesday December 1, 2015. The Ghana Meteorological Agency says the dusty winds will last longer this year.

Principal Meteorological Officer at the Agency, Muller Tsatsu Tsame told Joy News Saturday the Harmattan winds would intensify till December 13 after which a new study will be conducted to ascertain how long it will last.