JKIA temporarily shut over military drill, flights delayed

What you need to know:

The JKIA and Wilson Airport were closed for an hour beginning 11:20 a.m. to allow the military conduct training above the capital city.
This closure caused several disruptions with national carrier Kenya Airways saying that nine of its flights expected to arrive or take off within that timeframe were being rescheduled.
Korean Air, Air Seychelles, Jet Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines as well as Etihad Airways among several others had to delay their incoming flights as well.

Tens of flights to and from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were Wednesday disrupted after the aviation regulator closed Nairobi’s airspace for a Kenya Air Force military drill ahead of next week’s Jamhuri Day celebrations.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), closing the JKIA and Wilson Airport for an hour beginning 11:20 a.m. to allow the military conduct training above the capital city ahead of the country’s 53rd independence celebrations on December 12.

NOTAMs are issued by aviation authorities to alert pilots of potential hazards along a flight route.

The closure caused several disruptions with national carrier Kenya Airways saying that seven of its flights expected to arrive or take off within that timeframe were being rescheduled.

“The scheduled JKIA airport closure between 1120hrs-1220hrs is due to Jamhuri fete military drill,” the airline said on its Twitter handle.

“This is an aviation norm and it is for safety purposes in case they need to use the airport as an alternate,” it added.

Passengers aboard KQ’s flights from Addis Ababa, Zanzibar and Kinshasa were delayed by up to 50 minutes due to the closure while an outgoing flight to Comoros departed over an hour late.

The national carrier’s flight to Entebbe took off at 11:10am, 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled time in order to beat the NOTAM which was issued to airlines on Tuesday.

A KQ flight from Juba was scheduled to arrive at midday but landed 45 minutes later.

Korean Air, Air Seychelles, Jet Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines as well as Etihad Airways among several others had to delay their incoming flights to JKIA from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital city.

Closure "necessary"

The Kenya Air Force is expected to conduct a fly-past over the country’s capital next Monday and preparations for their complex aerial manoeuvres necessitated closure of the airspace above Nairobi.

“The military need to practice for Jamhuri and required to fly over the stadium where next week’s celebrations will take place,” said Gilbert Kibe, KCAA’s director-general, adding that the two facilities were closed as a precautionary measure.

“It was necessary to close the two airports. To begin with, the military aircraft cross flight paths used by other aircraft. Secondly, in case of any incident, they would have both airports to land in addition to their main base.”