SN
The scary situation did not only cause panic among passengers on board but also delayed passengers at the RIA who were waiting to board the flight.
The flight was limited on jet fuel but sources at the airport say landing in the dark could be catastrophic to the flight, its passengers and the airport.
In a video recorded in the plane and shared with FrontPageAfrica, the pilot is heard announcing, "I would like to inform you that the airport in
The flight later returned to the RIA after the airport was powered. This caused a delay for outbound passengers scheduled to take off from the RIA at
"The plane left after
The pilot just apologized for the delay and said it was a blackout at RIA," a passenger informed FrontPageAfrica.
This is the second time in three months a descending plane has been forced to abort landing due to lack to dark runway at the RIA. In February, Royal Air Maroc was forced to also divert its landing to
Airport authorities have blamed the unfortunate incident on the airport crew responsible for lighting at the airport and vowed to take punitive actions against those responsible.
So far, only SN Brussels and Air France are flying directly from
"Based on the economic performance, the current geopolitical situation and the
Dark Airport Embarrassment
On
A day later, travelers were again compelled to use the torch of their respective phones to provide light in the terminals at the airport. A video that went viral on social media, showed the travelers complaining and expressing serious frustration over the disgraceful situation while awaiting their respective flights for departure along with their luggage.
Daily Shutdown Announced
Early this month, the airport management announced a daily shutdown of the airport beginning
The decision, according to the management of the airport, is intended to allow an electronification implementation work plan that will run about six to 10 months beginning April this year.
At the time, FrontPageAfrica obtained a copy of a communication from the Acting Managing Director of the Airport to the Management of Royal Air Maroc apologizing for the blackout that occurred on the runway when its flight, AT565, was about to land. This incident occurred at about
According to the Airport management, it was working assiduously to ensure that such a serious incident does not reoccur.
The management stated that it intends to upgrade its electricity supply by inter-connecting to the national power grid which is currently under construction to ensure stable, uninterrupted power to customers.
Weah's Quick Fix
On
He named some of the interventions as the working of the air navigation system which has not been changed for over 25 years, the improvement of stable electricity including another source of power, a solar system as well as the increase in fire system equipment, among others.
The new terminal at the
FrontPageAfrica gathered that the government could not renew the contract and was not willing to pay the Chinese to train the local staff to continue the maintenance of the facility.
This has also led to the refusal of airlines, including SN Brussels, to use the bridge passengers are to use to embark and disembark the plane as it almost caused damage to an SN Brussel flight.
However, Minister McGill pointed out that as part of the government's new plans, they will sign a new contract with the Chinese to ensure that they help train Liberians for the process.
Minister McGill put the cost of the project at around
For his part, Finance Minister
He said the government is committed to addressing the problem which he said would set yet another unprecedented record for the Liberian leader. "We are now under obligation to look for money where we did not even budget for it especially when resources are scarce," Minister Tweah said.
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