Fuel hitch leaves travellers stranded at JKIA

By RAWLINGS OTIENO

NAIROBI; KENYA: Hundreds of passengers were forced to cancel their flights at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after a hitch with fuel supply to planes.

This is after it emerged that the pipeline supplying fuel to the airport malfunctioned with Kenya Pipeline Company making frantic efforts to restore the normal supply.

Several aircrafts got grounded and passengers driven to various City Hotels at the expense of the Airlines they had booked.

According JKIA officials, an airlock interfered with Jet-A1 fuel flow that led to shortage thus no planes could take off from 3pm.

The airport was shut down in the evening and all planes flying to Kenya had been redirected to Entebbe and Kigali as the airport official made frantic efforts to resolve the crisis.

By the time we went to the Press, majority of the flights had been cancelled with passengers describing the situation pathetic and embarrassing.

Among the passengers were the Kenya bound Athletics team headed for the World Athletics Championships in Moscow from the August 10.

They were expected to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday via Dubai to do the final training before the commencement of the championships.

According to an official of the team Sammy Rono, the team had arrived at JKIA by 1600hours and the plane was to depart at 1700 hours, however, after waiting for close to three hours they were informed by the Airport officials that they could not travel.

“We have been told that we cannot travel today due to fuel problem. This might affect our training but we hope that by tomorrow (Tuesday) we will travel. For now we are going to spend at Laico Regency,” he said.

Rono flanked by other team officials said that, the 49 athletes were asked to disembark from the plane and wait outside as Emirates airline made every effort to secure them accommodation.

The team had boarded Emirates flight that was due for a 4:30pm local time take-off to Russia via Dubai.

A passenger Grace Nyoike said that Swissair cancelled the Zurich flight that was to depart at 1125 hours but were told about the cancellation much later in the day, a situation she said has disorganised their travel.

An airport manager who requested anonymity told The Standard that there was insufficient pressure to pump fuel into the planes.

She added that most airlines were forced to cancel the flights as the hours recommended for aeroplane crew had lapsed and they would not be allowed to fly anyway, after such a long wait.