KQ diverts flights at JKIA over heavy rains, poor visibility

The national carrier further warned of possible delays in departures from JKIA due to poor visibility caused by the torrential downpour on Saturday night.

The flight disruption came at the same time as the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) announced that all vehicles must use the main gate at JKIA to enter and exit the airport indefinitely.

The road that leads to JKIA’s Tower Avenue underpass was Saturday evening impassable owing to the persistent heavy rainfall. 

A minibus was submerged immediately after the flooding of the underpass. KAA security teams coordinating with the police promptly cordoned off the affected area to ensure the safety of all airport users and personnel.

In one of the aeroplane hangers, the situation appeared to have worsened, with flooding disrupting normal operations. This is one area that is usually busy with activities such as passengers disembarking from planes and others boarding their flights. But Saturday night's downpour ensured that no passenger or airport personnel would access the area.

The area used by passengers to access the terminals once they have disembarked from their flights was a no go zone last night. The area is also used to ferry luggage. 

Following the heavy downpour and poor visibility in Nairobi, Kenya Airways was forced to divert a number of its flights, which resulted in delays for some of the departures from Nairobi. The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused but stressed that safety remains its top priority.

The floods have occurred at a time when the Airport Authority is grappling with leakages on the roofs. This is happening even after the Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen assured that the leakages will be taken care of last November.

KAA managing director Henry Kegoye says the recent leaks in the airport’s roofs were due to ongoing refurbishment works, with further infrastructure improvements planned to be complete by June.