Transformer theft forces suspension of night flights at Mozambique's Lichinga Airport, with 20.5 million meticais in losses
Why It MattersInfrastructure theft at a regional Mozambican airport shows how fragile basic airfield lighting can be, narrowing night and low-visibility access to northern Mozambique for any operator.
Night flights at Lichinga Airport in Niassa province, northern Mozambique, have been suspended after the theft of transformers that supply around 40 runway lights, Aeroportos de Moçambique (AdM) management said.
Saíde Mahoma Júnior, the public company's executive administrator responsible for Administration and Finance, said the theft had compromised the operation of the runway lighting and also affected landings in conditions of poor visibility. He told journalists that night flights to Lichinga would be suspended immediately. He linked the losses of 20.5 million meticais to repeated acts of vandalism at the airport.
