Gambia Bound Flights Cancelled, Diverted to Dakar

Foroyaa Newspaper

May 30th, 2019

By MUHAMMED S. BAH

All flights bound for The Gambia have been either diverted to Dakar or cancelled after a Polish aircraft broke down on the runway at the Banjul International Airport Tuesday, May 27th.

Director General, Department of Strategy and Policy Delivery, Alhagie Nyangado told a pool of Journalists at a hastily organised press conference held at State House on Wednesday 29th May 2019, that the problem lies on the flight itself but not as a result of bird strike.

 Mr. Nyangado said the airport terminal is expected to resume its operation within 48 hours, “The time could be even less, because the authorities of the airport are doing their utmost best to solve the situation,” he remarked.

Report has it that an Aircraft that was supposed to take off for the United Kingdom had its tyres busted on the runway resorting to the shutting down of the runway. This has made flights that are to come to the Gambia to be diverted to Senegal and others cancelled.

The airport is known to be often encountering bird strikes due to the frequent flying of birds around its environ. Birds are reportedly attracted by the dumpsite that is just a few miles away from the airport terminal. This is a place where different birds come to scavenge for food.

“Government is not taking the issue of clearing the dumpsite at the airport lightly,” says Mai Ahmed Fatty, one of the President’s advisers. He disclosed that the government to the highest level has met to strategise on how to go about it.

Mr. Fatty disclosed that on Saturday 1st June 2019, all relevant authorities will be involved, including the security and the natives of West Coast Region in a cleansing exercise to clear the place. He said this will serve as a temporal measure to avert the bird striking on the flights. Mr. Fatty underscored the importance of people’s attitudes towards indiscriminate dumping. He further noted that government will still work on a permanent solution to the problem. “This problem is not something new, but it has been here since the first republic,” Mr. Fatty remarked. He said government has already set up a committee that will coordinate in addressing the issue. He disclosed that government is doing as much as they can to mobilise resources for the exercise.

Brussels Airlines Flight First To Land At Airport Following Runway Mishap

FatuNetwork.net
May 29th, 2019
By Lamin Njie

A Brussels Airlines flight landed at the Banjul International Airport Wednesday evening, officially bringing to an end a runway mishap that has rocked the country’s air transport sector.

All flight operations were suspended at the Banjul International Airport on Wednesday after a UK-bound flight got stuck on the runway after a burst tyre.

The incident meant all flights to Banjul had to be either cancelled or diverted – with many passengers left stranded in Senegal and other parts of the world.

On Wednesday, the Gambia government called an emergency press conference saying there was more to the airport mishap than just a plane suffering a burst tyre.

“The causes of the problem has a lot to do with ourselves. The manner in which we dispose waste…, All these are attracting birds and other ruminants that affect the smooth operation of our airport,” Mai Ahmad Fatty special adviser to President Barrow told journalists Wednesday, adding there will be a cleaning exercise at the airport on Saturday.

Civil Aviation announces reopen of Banjul airport after temporal closure

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The Point Newspaper

The managing director of The Gambia Civil Aviation, Abdoulie Jammeh, has announced over the state broadcaster (Radio Gambia) that the temporal closure of the Banjul International Airport has been lifted after the problem has been resolved.

The news came after the government convened a press briefing at which it announced the closure of the airport for 48 hours.

Alhagie Nyangado, the director of Strategic Policy and Delivery at the Office of the President, who was speaking to journalists earlier Wednesday at State House said the current breakdown of an aircraft at the airport had nothing to do with birds strikes as earlier perceived by the government, noting it’s an engine problem and that “we are working on that. We’re reliably informed that the airport is closed for 48 hours but it has nothing to do with the birds strike,” he said.

This information came to light amid a mechanical fault of an aircraft that had a breakdown on the runway.

He said: “If this continues the repercussion is that Gambia will be declared unsafe for landing. Gambians will not have the liberty to fly from Banjul airport for the fact that no plane will come to Banjul airport and that we will be forced to go to Senegal which is so inconvenient; not to talk about the economic damage that we will be facing with,” he added.

The issue of the bird’s strikes at the airport, he went on, was discussed at the presidency on Tuesday and that a taskforce has been initiated. Mr. Nyangado stated that: “As long as that plane is on the runway no other plane can land. So virtually, our airport is closed. Therefore, it’s our collective responsibility to take charge of it before it’s too late.”

“We are coordinating with all stakeholders on this endeavour, so that we’re able to remove the dumpsite around the airport which is the main cause of the bird’s strikes around the airport,” he opined. Key among the issues that needed to be sorted out immediately, he said, was to remove the dumpsite around the airport and also to be killing the birds.”

Mai Ahmed Fatty, special adviser to President Barrow, urged communities living around the airport to manage their waste effectively. “We should not be in the habit of throwing garbage everywhere. Government has a role to play and that they are performing that. However, there is need for attitudinal change. If you have waste at your house or you’re in a vehicle why do you throw it away?”

“The immediate measures that have to do with the birds strikes around the airport are of fundamental importance to government. Government is going to mobilise enough resources in order to make sure that we deal with the immediate threats. The communities around the airport have a role to play. They should come all out to support us.”

Fatty described the issues as emergency national security issues, saying “we have to clean our environment.”

He finally assured the international partners and stakeholders in the tourism industry and the hotels that the government was treating the matter with urgency and it’s a top priority for the presidency.

Author: Momodou Jawo