Blaze disrupts Nairobi air services

Blaze disrupts Nairobi air services
By admin


The outbreak of fire at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport yesterday has prompted carriers to divert or cancel air services until further notice, with passengers from Australia and New Zealand experiencing disruptions.

South African Airways, Etihad and Emirates have cancelled flights until further notice, with Qatar Airways diverting its services to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania.

"We're conscious that a number of passengers travelling through to East Africa will be affected and we are working with our head office in Johannesburg and with our travel trade partners to both advise on the delays and reschedule travel when and where possible," SAA's country head for Australasia, Tim Clyde-Smith, said.

"While all efforts to resume operations are being made by the Kenyan authorities, it is still early for an indication as to when operations will resume."

The airline will implement a "recovery plan" to minimise inconvenience to its customers once the airport resumes operations. It will waive fees for those affected wishing to cancel or rebook their flights.

The blaze took hold in the early hours of the morning local time, with the cause as yet unknown although speculation is rife. 

The fire has now been contained with no lives lost, President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed as he visited the site earlier. 

While he confirmed there have been serious disruptions to air services operating to and from the airport, he expected cargo and domestic operations to resume later today with a timeframe for the return of international services to be announced later.

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