Consequently, airline operators were compelled to cancel scheduled domestic and international flights for Sunday following the harmattan hazes.

Aside 7 am Azman Air and Maxair flights, which departed for Abuja, no single aircraft landed or took off at the airport, a staff member of one of the Kano-based airlines revealed.

Faraq Malami, Media Aide to representative of Kano Municipal in the House of Representatives, Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada, also said that the flight disruption affected the Ethiopia Airlines that was meant to fly his principal from Saudi Arabia.

Malami disclosed that the flight scheduled to touch down at MAKIA about 9 am Sunday was diverted to Niger State due to the inclement weather.

He regretted the harsh weather, which was not conducive for landing as at 6 pm, forced the flight to return the passengers to Saudi Arabia.

When contacted, Head, Corporate Affairs of the Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria (FAAN) at MAKIA, Maimuna Tadafe declined comments, insisting that she was not authorised to speak except with the permission of her General Manager, who she said, was away.

Kano is currently witnessing the height of cold weather, occasioned by the harmattan, which put the city’s temperature at between nine and 12 degrees Celsius.

The cold temperature has been restricting residents from late movement, while most nightspots are fast losing patronage.

Besides corporate outfits that open for official businesses about 8 am, several traders hardly operate in Kano until around 10 am due to the cold weather.