JKIA Up in flames
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JKIA Up in flames
Huge fire has closed JKIA indefinitely. Fire broke out in the early hours of this morning in the immigration area and quickly spread to the arrivals halls. No flights in or out of the airport for the foreseeable future. Somewhat of a national disaster!!?! 
See report below from the Standard press....
Flights suspended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after fire destroys arrival terminal
NAIROBI, KENYA: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( JKIA) has been closed indefinitely after a huge fire broke out at the arrival terminal.
Arrival and take off of planes have been affected after the fire broke out shortly before 5 am at the arrivals terminal. The fire has since been contained.
There is no departure while flights that were to land at JKIA are being diverted to Moi International Airport, Mombasa and Kisumu International Airport.
The cause of the fire was not immediately established but major services were affected and staff were evacuated.
Officials at the Kenya Airports Authority, which runs the airport, said no injury has been reported.
President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the airport to inspect damage caused by fire.
Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said JKIA has been closed indefinitely and efforts were being made to evacuate the airport.
Interior & Coordination of National Government Joseph Ole Lenku said security has been heightened at the airport and efforts were being done to ensure operations resume as soon as possible.
“We will try our best to open the airport as it cannot be close for long but we cannot compromise security,” he said.
He said flights coming into JKIA have been diverted to Mombasa and transiting passengers have been taken to hotels.
Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) head of security Eric Kiraithe has called on the public to avoid the affected area to allow emergency services to do their work.
“The fire is huge and we do not know what caused it. Let the public avoid the area,” said Kiraithe.
Other officials said the fire started from the immigration desk before spreading fast to other areas.
The airport was sealed off as emergency services were scrambled. Ambulances were seen leaving the airport and it is not clear if they were carrying casualties.
Officials at the Kenya Airports Authority, which runs the airport, also confirmed that no injury had been reported.
The fire fighters at the airport were overwhelmed forcing them to seek the help from the private sector and the Nairobi City Council.
Interior Principle Secretary Mutea Iringo said they were monitoring and coordinating the response services.
“We are there and monitoring the situation,” he said.
Another senior security official said there was confusion at the airport but all was being done to put out the fire.
The fire happened a day after thousands of passengers were on Monday night stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after a hitch with fuel supply to planes.
Several flights were cancelled after the pipeline supplying fuel to the airport malfunctioned. It is definitely going to affect operations again.
See report below from the Standard press....Flights suspended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after fire destroys arrival terminal
NAIROBI, KENYA: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( JKIA) has been closed indefinitely after a huge fire broke out at the arrival terminal.
Arrival and take off of planes have been affected after the fire broke out shortly before 5 am at the arrivals terminal. The fire has since been contained.
There is no departure while flights that were to land at JKIA are being diverted to Moi International Airport, Mombasa and Kisumu International Airport.
The cause of the fire was not immediately established but major services were affected and staff were evacuated.
Officials at the Kenya Airports Authority, which runs the airport, said no injury has been reported.
President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the airport to inspect damage caused by fire.
Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said JKIA has been closed indefinitely and efforts were being made to evacuate the airport.
Interior & Coordination of National Government Joseph Ole Lenku said security has been heightened at the airport and efforts were being done to ensure operations resume as soon as possible.
“We will try our best to open the airport as it cannot be close for long but we cannot compromise security,” he said.
He said flights coming into JKIA have been diverted to Mombasa and transiting passengers have been taken to hotels.
Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) head of security Eric Kiraithe has called on the public to avoid the affected area to allow emergency services to do their work.
“The fire is huge and we do not know what caused it. Let the public avoid the area,” said Kiraithe.
Other officials said the fire started from the immigration desk before spreading fast to other areas.
The airport was sealed off as emergency services were scrambled. Ambulances were seen leaving the airport and it is not clear if they were carrying casualties.
Officials at the Kenya Airports Authority, which runs the airport, also confirmed that no injury had been reported.
The fire fighters at the airport were overwhelmed forcing them to seek the help from the private sector and the Nairobi City Council.
Interior Principle Secretary Mutea Iringo said they were monitoring and coordinating the response services.
“We are there and monitoring the situation,” he said.
Another senior security official said there was confusion at the airport but all was being done to put out the fire.
The fire happened a day after thousands of passengers were on Monday night stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after a hitch with fuel supply to planes.
Several flights were cancelled after the pipeline supplying fuel to the airport malfunctioned. It is definitely going to affect operations again.
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Utter confusion both on the ground and in the air with international carriers diverting and cancelling left right and centre - but no, no deaths reported. Hardly any casualties of any description so far reported - it was a quiet time at the airport when it started, and it started slowly enough for people to get clear. The big question is going to be what happens next? Without JKIA, Nairobi is pretty stranded, and it has the potential to ruin the Migration season for visitors to the Mara. It will be very interesting to see what develops.....
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planning myopia?
If the other international Airports in Kenya were developed sufficiently to match the capacity at JKIA, the impact on passenger and minor cargoflows might have been minimized as Nairobi Wilson Airport could accept traffic in small batches. Mombasa Airport has been largely neglected yet has the potential to act as a twin hub for Nairobi.
Nairobi is a major African Aviation Hub after Jo burg.
Looks like emergency response drills at JKIA are not practiced seriously or frequently enough.Back in 2001 a practice fire drill was conducted and the plane I was piloting was nominated as the "accident" aircraft. Upon landing whilst we saw aggressive pursuit by fire brigades..we saw little in the way of orchestrated response communication and coordination.On the non air side pandemonium broke loose the public at large as well as public officials like police were blasting around like headless chickens..they couldn't be. Convinced that no accident had taken place. "Fire" was even said to have been "observed"! It didn't help to have rumour-mongering journalists phishing about for some TV news headlines...yes..the first news bulletin was indeed our plane had crashed. Ofcourse I was all chuckles watching all this meyhem theatrics!
Prezo Uhuruto...it is time to build a Cat 2 digital airport..with electric fast speed trains from the city to bypass the horrendous road traffic. Also considering frequent morning fog Apr-Oct..and relative weather at HKJK and hostile terrain
Nairobi is a major African Aviation Hub after Jo burg.
Looks like emergency response drills at JKIA are not practiced seriously or frequently enough.Back in 2001 a practice fire drill was conducted and the plane I was piloting was nominated as the "accident" aircraft. Upon landing whilst we saw aggressive pursuit by fire brigades..we saw little in the way of orchestrated response communication and coordination.On the non air side pandemonium broke loose the public at large as well as public officials like police were blasting around like headless chickens..they couldn't be. Convinced that no accident had taken place. "Fire" was even said to have been "observed"! It didn't help to have rumour-mongering journalists phishing about for some TV news headlines...yes..the first news bulletin was indeed our plane had crashed. Ofcourse I was all chuckles watching all this meyhem theatrics!
Prezo Uhuruto...it is time to build a Cat 2 digital airport..with electric fast speed trains from the city to bypass the horrendous road traffic. Also considering frequent morning fog Apr-Oct..and relative weather at HKJK and hostile terrain
Last edited by Trackdiamond; 7th Aug 2013 at 17:11.
