Kenya Airways forced to divert flights over fog

5Y - CYA Kenya Airways passenger planef at the JKIA.[Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

Kenya Airways was Thursday morning forced to divert some inbound flights scheduled to land at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

In a statement dated April 17, the national carrier said several flights scheduled to land at JKIA were rerouted to Mombasa and Kilimanjaro airports due to poor visibility.

“We wish to inform our customers that due to poor visibility caused by fog this morning, some of our flights scheduled to land at JKIA were diverted to Mombasa and Kilimanjaro,” KQ said. 

The airline noted that the diversions were made in the interest of safety for both passengers and crew.

KQ also issued an apology to the affected passengers and warned of expected delays in arrivals and departures throughout the day.

“We expect some delays today for certain flight departures and arrivals. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.” 

The disruption comes amid weather challenges. The Kenya Meteorological Department, in its latest forecast, warned of continuous heavy rainfall across the country.

The forecast indicated isolated downpours in the highlands west and east of the Rift Valley, including Nairobi, as well as the Lake Victoria Basin, southeastern and northeastern regions.

In addition to heavy rains, extreme temperatures are expected, with daytime temperatures above 30 degrees and nighttime temperatures below 10 degrees in parts of the east and central Rift valley, and around Mt Kilimanjaro.