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Reasons Of Darkness On The Runway, Sn Brussels Diverts To Sierra Leone

A plane from SN Brussels, one of the most reliable airlines in the world, was diverted to Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Wednesday after it abruptly aborted a landing at the Roberts International Airport case of a power outage at the airport and on the runway. The plane, which had descended sufficiently to touch down, was one of the most reliable airlines in the world flying from Europe to Monrovia.

The terrifying incident not only created terror among passengers on board, but it also caused delays for people waiting to join the aircraft at the RIA. It was a low-fuel flight; yet, airport sources warn that landing in darkness may be dangerous for the aircraft, its passengers, and the whole terminal complex.

A video taken inside the aircraft and shared with FrontPageAfrica shows the pilot declaring, “I would like to advise you that the airport in Monrovia is closed at the present time due to a lack of power.” They’re attempting to repair it, but we still have enough gasoline to go a few kilometers. However, we haven’t received any communication from the airport in Monrovia, so we’ve chosen to return to Freetown for now. The next step will be to see if we can get any petrol in Freetown and then make a choice on where to go from thereā€¦

Afterwards, the plane returned to the RIA when the airport’s power was switched off. This resulted in a delay for outgoing passengers who were due to depart from the RIA at 8:30 p.m. that evening. They were originally set for 9:30 p.m., but were subsequently postponed for 10:30 p.m.

“The aircraft took off just after 11:30 p.m. It was three hours late because of the weather. Passengers were dissatisfied and apprehensive about missing their connecting flights in several cases.

“A passenger told FrontPageAfrica that the pilot just apologized for the delay and said that there was a blackout at RIA.”

Due to a lack of a dark runway at the RIA, a descending aircraft was forced to abandon landing for the second time in three months. The first instance was in December. As a result of the identical circumstances, Royal Air Maroc was forced to reroute its landing in Freetown earlier this year.

Despite the sad event, airport officials have placed responsibility on the airport employees in charge of lighting at the airport and have promised to take severe measures against those who were at fault for it.

There are just two airlines that fly straight from Europe to Monrovia at this time: SN Brussels and Air France. Air France, on the other hand, is set to make its last flight to Liberia on April 30. Airline officials have said that the cancellation of flights to Monrovia is due to the unprofitability of the business in this country as well as the situation in Mali. In 2020, Air France will resume its service to Monrovia, Liberia.

Based on economic performance, geopolitical conditions, and Air France-overall KLM’s goal to restore profitability, Air France has decided to discontinue operations between Paris and Liberia as of April 30, 2022,” the airline said in a statement.

Customers who have already made reservations for flights departing beyond the end of April will be contacted individually. Customers who are affected by this decision may adjust their travel arrangements or cancel their trip and obtain a refund. It would like to express its gratitude to the Liberian Government and the airport authorities for their continuous assistance in the operation of this route,” Air France noted in a statement published after the route was inaugurated.

Airport Embarrassment in the Dark

After returning from the United Arab Emirates, where they had gone to participate in the EXPO Dubai 2020, President Weah and other government officials were met by darkness upon their arrival at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIA).

In the terminals of the airport the next day, passengers were once again forced to utilize the torch function on their individual phones to provide light for themselves and their belongings. A video that went popular on social media showed the tourists moaning and expressing major aggravation over the shameful condition they were in while waiting for their individual aircraft to leave with their baggage, which was seen in the background of the video. Recently, Mr. Mwangi spoke with FrontPageAfrica about his experiences as a freelance writer.

Martin Hayes, Managing Director of the Royal Institution of Architects, bemoaned some of the difficulties. “This is an international airport, and we have significant problems in terms of managing the facility.” I had to purchase two completely new generators. Things might become terrible at times, but what distinguishes a successful leader is his or her ability to swiftly put things back together and make things better for Mama Liberia. When it comes to operating the airport, we face significant obstacles. The fact that the airport is operated entirely on generators, each of which costs US $47,000 simply to keep the airport operational, makes things tough.

Announcement of the Daily Shutdown

At the beginning of this month, the airport’s management declared that the airport will be closed every day at 12 a.m. As a result, airlines were urged to reschedule flights that took off late at night or early in the morning. According

According to the airport’s administration, the decision is designed to enable for the execution of an electronification work plan that will run for about six to ten months, commencing in April of this year and ending in December of this year.

Back then, FrontPageAfrica got a copy of a correspondence from the acting Managing Director of the airport to the management of Royal Air Maroc, in which the latter expressed regret for a blackout that happened on the runway as the airline’s aircraft, AT565, was about to touch down on the ground. On February 21, 2022, at around 4 a.m., an event happened.

According to the airport’s administration, it was working tirelessly to guarantee that a severe occurrence like this would not happen again in the future.

In a statement, the management indicated that it plans to modernize its electrical supply by reconnecting with the national power grid, which is now under development, in order to provide consumers with steady and continuous power.

It is a simple solution.

Nathiel McGill, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, made the announcement on April 5th that President Weah had constituted a cabinet committee that will collaborate with management of the RIA in order to make some immediate interventions.

He listed some of the interventions, which included improving the operation of the air navigation system, which has not been changed in more than 25 years, increasing the availability of stable electricity, which included adding another source of power, a solar system, and increasing the amount of fire system equipment.

At a cost of US $55 million, the Chinese constructed a new terminal at Roberts International Airport, but the structure started to deteriorate after a two-year maintenance contract ended.

FrontPageAfrica has learned that the government was unable to extend the contract and was unwilling to pay the Chinese for the training of local employees to ensure that the facility’s upkeep could continue.

This has also resulted in airlines, notably SN Brussels, refusing to utilize the bridge that passengers are required to use to board and depart the aircraft, due to the fact that it nearly caused damage to an SN Brussels flight.

Minister McGill, on the other hand, said that as part of the government’s new plans, a new contract with the Chinese would be signed to guarantee that the Chinese will assist Liberians in the training process for the process.

Minister McGill estimated that the project would cost around $22 to $23 million and would be completed in six to seven months, particularly with the participation of the legislature.

For his part, Finance Minister Samuel Tweah said that the airport has been operating on generators for around 15 years, which he believes is unacceptable in the twenty-first century.

According to him, the administration is dedicated to resolving the issue, which he believes would establish yet another unique milestone for the Liberian leader. Tweah said that the government “is now under a responsibility to hunt for money in areas where we had not even budgeted for it,” particularly in times of limited resources.

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