Home coming Nigerians are among those stranded as the United States reels from weeklong winter storms, flight cancellations and delays and other transportation challenges.
These challenges continued to pile up on Christmas Day and beyond, trapping many, including Nigerians on their way to holiday in their home country.
At least 3,181 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled on Christmas day (Sunday) according to flight tracking website FlightAware, CNN reports. The figure was updated to over 4,000 flights cancelled by CNN as at today, Tuesday, December 27. And delays of flights still able to takeoff numbered roughly 6,800.
The 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) estimates that 461,695 U.S. residents are of Nigerian ancestry.
Many of these typically travel home to holiday at Christmas and New Year and contribute to foreign remittances which help buoy the local economy and sustain relations in the home country.
They are also significant contributors to the local tourism, hospitality, entertainment and other businesses which they patronise in the course of their visits home.
The Nigerian diaspora worldwide is responsible for the largest financial remittances into sub-Saharan Africa, with over $17 billion in 2020 according to World Bank data.
Christmas Day is traditionally a light day for passenger flights.
Demonstrating the sheer size and widespread effects of the US storms, an airport in the Deep South and another out West were most affected Christmas Day. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) — the world’s busiest airport for passengers — saw the second most cancellation and delays Christmas day.
Number one was more than 1,000 miles away out in the Rocky Mountains with Denver International. And even farther out West, Harry Reid International (LAS) in Las Vegas had the third-most cancellations.
Denver International was keeping a sense of humor during the stressful event, posting a tweet of what appeared to be an airport worker playing “Jingle Bells” on a fiddle.
The storm’s effects in parts of the West are abating, though. The temperature at 8 p.m. MT at Denver International was still above freezing at 38°F (3°C).
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) tweeted that it would remain closed entirely until 11 am. Tuesday, December 27 — extending out a closing originally set to end at 11 a.m. Monday.
The temperature at BUF at 10 p.m. ET was 20°F (-7°C) with wind speeds of 24 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
