By Lamin Cham
A prolonged power outage at the Banjul International Airport Saturday evening caused a number of flights to be diverted to Dakar.
Among the planes diverted to Dakar was a fully boarded Brussels Airline flight from Belgium and Asky from Sierra Leone. According to some passengers on the Brussels Airline flight, the crew had informed them of its inability to land in Banjul after several attempts due to power outage at the terminal and they had no choice but to divert to Senegal.
On arrival in Dakar, a number of angry passengers released audio messages from the plane expressing frustrations and demanding answers from the airport authorities.
Some blamed the incident on alleged inefficiency and negligence on the part of the airport authorities while others counted it “as part of the general incompetence of the government as a whole”.
“How can you justify lack of power at an airport which is supposed to have been renovated with huge sums of money and one that daily collects monies from passengers on arrival and departure?” one commentator asked.
Contacted for answers, the director general of the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Fansu Bojang, told The Standard that the mater has to do with power supply from Nawec which went off from 8:15am to about 18:27pm. during which time the airport operated on its backup system.
“Because we are automated with Nawec to ensure restoration of power by our generators within 14 seconds of Nawec’s going, our backup systems too shut down once Nawec comes on. So, after 10 hours of running on our backup system, Nawec came back and our system shut down and automatically switched to Nawec, but unfortunately, Nawec didn’t come with stability and were going on and off. This, we were informed, was a result of all users switching on at the same time thereby tripping the line to the airport,” DG Bojang said.
He explained that this happened during a period when Brussels Airlines was on approach and after a couple of failed landing attempts due to the ensuing erratic power situation, the crew was advised to divert to Dakar while work goes on to stabilise power. “Another flight, Asky, which was due to arrive, was also advised to proceed to Dakar,” he said.
However, according the GCAA boss, Nawec supported and worked with them by executing load shedding to allow adequate and stable power to the airport.
“As a result, we were able to get back stable power by 20:48 when the airport returned to normal operations. Consequently, the diverted flights to Dakar were advised to come back and Asky did come back.
“The remaining flights of the night, Corendon, Royal Air Maroc and Tap Air Portugal came in without any hitches,” he said.
He added that none of the users, including passengers and airlines, were in any danger at anytime.
“The public is reassured of the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority’s commitment to safety and security of the civil aviation ecosystem within the country at all times. Hence, our total commitment to the adherence to Intentional Civil Aviation Organisation’s Standards and Recommended Practices at all times. The GCAA and Nawec are currently working on projects to bring a lasting solution to these power challenges at the airport. These projects are anticipated to be concluded soon,” DG Bojang assured.
