Flight disruptions due to an abrupt shortage of fuel at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday morning have triggered fresh concern about the state of refuelling hydrant pit valves at the key gateway.
The fuel shortage hit airlines including national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) and its subsidiary budget airline Jambojet—leaving hundreds of passengers stranded due to delays in their scheduled flights.
“Due to maintenance of the fuel hydrants that extended beyond the planned duration at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, we have experienced delays in our morning departures,” KQ said in a statement.
Jambojet also confirmed that its operations were disrupted due to the fuel shortage at JKIA and warned that the situation would affect services across the day.
“Due to temporary disruptions in the fuel at the JKIA, our morning flights are delayed. Our fuel providers have resolved the issue, and we are now fuelling ready for boarding. Unfortunately, this will affect our services throughout the day. We sincerely apologise for any inconveniences this may cause, and new shall do our best to minimise the disruptions,” Jambojet said in a statement.
Thursday’s flight disruptions rekindled memories from eight years ago when some refuelling hydrant pit valves at the airport failed, disrupting some flights.
“There is concern about the hydrants that need to be addressed. We had failures in 2016 and then again today,” a source at the airport told Business Daily.
A portion of the 128 pit valves, where all international and local aircraft landing at JKIA are expected to refuel, stalled in 2016—prompting expedited repairs and part replacements by the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), which averted a crisis though some flights were disrupted.
JKIA manager, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), said the fuel service disruptions on Thursday have been resolved.
“KAA wishes to inform the public that there was an A1 fuel supply disruption this morning that affected operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The issue has been rectified, and normal airport operations have now resumed,” KAA said in a statement.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused to our passengers and airline partners. Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for any updates regarding their flights,” it added.
This comes barely a fortnight after the airline suspended all flights at JKIA due to a strike by aviation workers protesting against the proposed deal to lease the airport to India's Adani Group.
The strike, called by the Kenya Airport Workers Union, caused major disruption and left hundreds of passengers stranded as flights were cancelled or delayed.
