Fire at Terminal 1, JKIA/NBO Nairobi, Kenya. Airport shut down.

[wabulabantu]

All flights diverted to Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu Airports. Some PAX still sitting on planes on ground. Fire affected Immigration Areas. This will seriously mess up Kenya for some time.

[wabulabantu]

BBC News - Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23598012#TWEET847633)

https://twitter.com/984inthemorning/status/364963944042991616/photo/1

[Airbubba]

Time to round up the usual suspects?


Associated Press

Posted on August 7, 2013 at 1:01 AM

Updated today at 1:03 AM
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Firefighters are battling a large blaze raging at Kenya's main international airport.

The Kenya Airports Authority said Wednesday that the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has been closed until further notice so that emergency teams can battle the fire. Billowing smoke could be seen from miles (kilometers) away.

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the blaze as huge and said it appeared the fire had gutted the international arrivals area, where passengers pass through immigration and retrieve their luggage.

Stranded passengers stood on sidewalks outside the airport holding their luggage.

Inbound flights have been rerouted to other Kenyan airports.

[hailstone]

that does not look good.

Any knowledge out there if the airport closure is for ALL flights, or are freighters going into NBO, being loaded with flowers and moving ?

Any knowledge as to current flights stuck on the ground ?

[wabulabantu]

Complete shutdown except for emergency flights

[fox niner]

Rife speculation of course......But could it be AL Qaeda again? With all the security alerts of the last week.

[rcsa]

First of all - I hope no one was hurt. I have absolutely no doubt that the Kenyan authorities and insurance industry will fully compensate everyone affected promptly and efficiently.

But everyone who has ever used JKI has complained about what a grotty, confusing, badly lit, poorly maintained, embarrassment it was, to both Kenya and KQ. If this fire forces KCAA and the airport owners to extract their digits and build a new airport, I for one will be delighted... EXCEPT - that for years and years ahead, it's going to be even worse....

We used to laugh that the domestic departures at Murtala Mohamed in LOS was in a tent. I imagine the ENTIRE NBO airport experience for the next five years (at least) will be under canvas!

Looks like I'll be avoiding NBO (and therefore KQ) until they've sorted this out. What a shambles.

[wabulabantu]

Today is the 15th anv. of the AQ bombings of the US Embassy in Nairobi. Speculate away..

Fire closes Kenya's international airport in Nairobi | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/07/us-kenya-airport-fire-idUSBRE97605T20130807?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637)

[Heathrow Harry]

"We used to laugh that the domestic departures at Murtala Mohamed in LOS was in a tent."

I can remember when you used a tent at Luton when Court Line introduced Tristars... and LAX had a large inflatable tent for international arrivals for quite a while in the late 70's early '80's

Even if they have to build a new terminal at Nairobi it will take years and years - and the graft!

[27ace]

There is construction ongoing in JKIA of a new terminal 4 for international arrivals and departures which is not affected by the fire. The superstructure is up and almost complete but I imagine the interiors and fittings will still take some time to complete. Tough luck for KQ and the other international operators at JKIA.
The old terminal international arrivals and departures is completely destroyed and I imagine will not be structurally sound for any use and may have to come down.
At the moment I understand most KQ aircraft will divert international to Eldoret and Mombasa for a while, and once domestic flights resume out of JKIA then proceed to JKIA as a domestic flight.
At the moment JKIA remains closed.

[oliver2002]

LX292 and SN453 are on their way to NBO, a bit delayed, but still on their way. ET801 departed a few hours late, but is also on its way there. BA, KL, EK have cancelled their flight.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

According to BBC, 2 hours to arrive.....

quite fast actually...

[millerscourt]

Standby for CMD to offer aid to rebuild it in order to get a few more "Brownie" points.

[sarah737]

LX292 and SN453 are on their way to NBO

SN453 is on its way to to EBB via BJM
LX292 is on its way to DAR

[oliver2002]

Hmmm.... lets see if they really fly there.

(NBO) Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Departures (http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do?airport=%28NBO%29+Jomo+Kenyatta+Int l%2C+Nairobi%2C+KE&airportQueryDate=2013-08-07&airportQueryTime=-1&airlineToFilter=&airportQueryType=0&x=34&y=8)

Anywho it seems only T1 intl arrivals is completely destroyed, the rest somewhat saved.

NOTAMs sound somewhat reasonable:

HKJK NAIROBI JOMO KENYATTA INTL

A0246/13 - AERODROME OPEN FOR ALL DOMESTIC OPS AND INTERNATIONAL CARGO
DEPARTURES. 07 AUG 13:50 2013 UNTIL 08 AUG 12:00 2013 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 07
AUG 13:56 2013

[Airbubba]

According to BBC, 2 hours to arrive.....

quite fast actually...

Like many of us, I've flown widebodies into NBO with paying pax. It is amazing to me that this lack of ARFF coverage is tolerated in the name of tourism and commerce by major air carriers.

One potential motive for the fire could be a recent dispute between Kenyan airport authority officials and owners of duty-free shops at the airport. Some of the shops were forcefully closed down following the expiration of a lease agreement.

Witnesses said firefighters arrived late to battle the blaze and appeared hobbled by a lack of equipment. As of last month, Nairobi County’s fire department did not have a single working fire engine, the Daily Nation newspaper reported last month, having auctioned off three engines in an effort to pay a $1,000 repair bail.

"It is a disgrace of biblical proportions that the entire Nairobi County does not have a public fire engine in working condition," the paper wrote in an editorial. As government officials debated whether to buy new engines or repair old ones, the editorial scolded, they set aside money “to build mansions for governors, big vehicles for county executives and other needs without a direct benefit to Kenyans.”

Fire shuts down Kenya's main airport - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/fire-shuts-down-kenyas-main-airport/2013/08/07/8f931b8a-ff4e-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html)

[oliver2002]

'repair bail'? Lol.

I doubt you can divert fire engines meant to cover operations to put out a fire in terminal?

[Heathrow Harry]

"a disgrace of biblical proportions"

I love African newspapers - no namby-pamby wishy washy hand-wringing there!!

[obgraham]

BBC had video of firefighting at the airport. Most of the water hardly getting past the curb. I could have done as well despite my prostate!

[Von Kitebender]

Murtala M, Lagos, Domestic still was a tent until a few months ago.

[rog747]

the terminal was a dump, god what a dump, made the old Athens international terminal look like LHR terminal 5 lol

glad no one hurt but 1-2 hours for fire engines to arrive? huh
was that true?

i know NBO a bit and the awful traffic etc but good grief...

how is their airfield fire cover...

[MPN11]

This post explains much, and little, in the same breath … FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Nairobi airport closed (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21230978-post22.html)

[robert f jones]

UK CNN at 7 pm BST are reporting that no airport fire vehicles were able to tackle the fire due to lack of "fuel". Could be vehicle fuel or fire fighting fuel, but either way, knowing that part of the world, no big surprise.

[west lakes]

no airport fire vehicles were able to tackle the fire due to lack of "fuel".

If that is the case I can't help but wonder if they are actually available in case of an aircraft incident. If not should airlines actually operate into there?

[Hawkeye0001]

On first sight of the pictures on BBC it was staggering that a fire of that size could consume, let alone develop to begin with, such a comparatively big building complex before being tackled. Given that it is staffed 24hrs it could've hardly gone by unnoticed to a point where suddenly - "Uh, uh, I left the oven on!" - everything was ablaze before someone realized that their funny wig is getting a bit warm and itchy on the scalp.

On second thought this fire is just a dead giveaway of nothing more but a ton of shortcomings which in hindsight probably created a disaster waiting to happen (no matter what the cause will turn out to be). Anyone who has been there will probably have noticed, well, ...noticed nothing: perhaps lots of cameras to be "in control" (oh, how they love that here) but the most basic 1970's design that has never been upgraded to any contemporary safety standards. Not even close: the western world doesn't build airports in marble, steel and glass only because it looks cool or because they love the feeling of cold steel (well, apart from Germans. They do.) but perhaps more so because it doesn't burn like that fuzzy carpet, antique wood paneling, and highly flammable polystyrene, all of which is found left-right-and-center at JKIA. Plus not even basic features like [sprinklers] working sprinklers or fire doors are there. This incident bears a striking resemblance to Düsseldorf 1996; gladly this time around everybody survived which is truly remarkable. Especially with the fire exits in mind that are always locked off with big steel chains and padlocks by security staff :ugh:

Hopefully one of the higher authorities like ICAO will have raised an eyebrow by now and starts poking into these things. Especially with regards to a fire department that is unable to contain a building fire but is supposed to extinguish B777's and A340's.

But then again T.I.A. applies ('this is Africa'), it was great Bwana Mungu's will that it happened, so lets carry on. The grief about the fire brigade helplessly watching with not enough water, equipment and staff will be forgotten as soon as they found a scapegoat and, good for them, they already have a fancy new and almost finished terminal up their sleeves, no need to invest money into useless upgrades. After all it worked 35 years without an incident, that's a good statistic. Nothing's gonna change.

Who's next? Dar, please! :rolleyes:

[Mr Mac]

Well as a frequent user I am rather glad that this will now be an up graded terminal and even more pleased that there were no injuries. However can all those who were not born or live in the first world ie Western Europe, North America, Aust / NZ, Japan and very few other spots around the planet wind there necks in . I was in tents at LHR not so long ago and the place had not been burnt to the ground for any reason (however given some matches after the delay suffered I may have tried !!:E). The joy (?) of travelling in the rest of the 3rd world is that this stuff happens, and will not stop occurring because they (90 %+ pop) of the world do not have same H&S etc of the supposed first world. Many on this site live and work for most of their lives in that 10% of the planet that do not suffer such incidents and do not appreciate the problems of the rest of the planets population. I and my wife will have to continue to travel to these areas both on business, but more importantly for me and my wife for pleasure, and a small incident at NBO will not alter that. Hope they make a better job of the terminal this time around. :ok:

[ATC Watcher]

Absolutely correct Mr Mac.
If someone from the 10% goes to Africa today and expects the same standards (of anything) as at home, it will be a great disapointment.

More seriously regarding Fire Services , this has been a real issue in many countries in , as you say, the 90%. Investing mass amount of money into replacing equipment that may never see use may not exactly a priority for political authorities having to deal with other immediate large, sometimes huge problems. Not an excuse, an explanation.

Hawkeye001 : Hopefully one of the higher authorities like ICAO will have raised an eyebrow by now and starts poking into these things.
ICAO issue standards, it is then up to States to implement them. ICAO has no police force .Even if they had, if the number of Fire trucks are there somewhere, it conforms.
If they do not start , it is not ICAO which will be able to fix that.

[BEagle]

I recall a colleague operating one of the first passenger flights to a certain part of Africa in a 4-jet.

Somewhat perturbed at the state of the place, they asked about fire and rescue cover. The local airport operator proudly revealed a somewhat elderly fire engine.....

Which might have been OK - except that it didn't have an engine :uhoh: !!

WAWA!!

I was always glad to get out of that dump - but the duty free shop did at least stock the cheapest 15 year old Glenfiddich (yes, it was authentic!) I've ever found.

[lomapaseo]

ATC Watcher

More seriously regarding Fire Services , this has been a real issue in many countries in , as you say, the 90%. Investing mass amount of money into replacing equipment that may never see use may not exactly a priority for political authorities having to deal with other immediate large, sometimes huge problems. Not an excuse, an explanation.


This part of the incident reminds me of the "Sim City"game I used to play on the computer. If one doesn't invest wisely in services the city will begin to decay whent floods, fires or earthquakes eventually happen.

It's pay me now or pay me later.

[Mariner9]

On-site fire fighting systems in refineries have to be first class and are subject to frequent safety inspections.

A tank in a certain African refinery (adjacent to a certain African airport) containing 100 million gallons of gasoline caught fire following a lightning strike. None of the refinery fire engines could be started :ugh: Luckily, the airfield fire engines were serviceable, and provided boundary cooling for adjacent tanks that stopped the whole place going up :D

[Trackdiamond]

International flights landed at Kenya's main airport Thursday morning, the first since a fire a day earlier gutted the arrivals terminal causing widespread chaos and delays, airport officials said. International flights resume at JKIA after fire - News - nation.co.ke (http://bit.ly/19510GR)

[ph-ndr]

For those that have problems believing there are issues with emergency services, there is this little gem:

APNewsBreak: Banks looted in Kenya airport fire (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/kenya-airport-fire-slow-return-intl-flights)

and in particular:


The officials said first responders stole electronics and money from an ATM. Another official said that police guarding the site overnight attempted to a take a safe from a bank in the burned-out arrivals hall, which also houses several foreign currency exchange shops.

All four officials who described the alleged looting are close to the investigation. They insisted on anonymity because they weren't authorized to share the information before the investigation is complete.


...some stuff you just can't make up.

[west lakes]

Though photos on some media show an impressive line up of fire appliances at the scene I will now agree

[robert f jones]

Reading some of the posts, hopefully not from professional aviation people, current or retired, there seems to misunderstanding regarding the licensing of airfields and the level of mandatory fire cover. ICAO standards, as outlined in the UK CAP 168, are notamed and checked by the airline flight dispatch for all destination and possible alternates on the route network. A 200 series 777 operating into Nairobi would require level 9 cover which calls for 3 foam producing vehicles with associated on board qualified personnel and equipment. Prudent operators, from past experience mentioned in some of the posts, to satisfy due diligence requirements, instruct their staff down route, usually the ground Engineer, to check on the serviceability of the RFFS on a daily basis. The excuse that the Airfield notam claimed a certain level which was known by all and sundry to be wrong would have no standing for subsequent legal examination. If and when International flights resume at Nairobi real fire cover to the required standard will be essential and effectively scrutinised by each individual operator. In the 1980's this was standard practice on all airfields on our West African route.

[fincastle84]

The terminal was cr£ppy in 1972 when I stopped there in my Shackelton on the way to Majunga. It was even cr£ppier when I left there on my BA flight last September.

Even worse, although BA have resumed flights, there's no access to the BA lounge!! That's going to be a b6gger next January. Mrs F will be totally unimpressed. :-(