The crisis in the Middle East is sending shockwaves all the way to Nairobi. With much of the region’s airspace shut down following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has become an unexpected stopover for thousands of stranded travellers.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that more than 3,400 flights were cancelled on Sunday alone, with key hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha forced to close. Airlines including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad, three carriers that together handle around 90,000 passengers daily, ground to a halt….
With routes through the Middle East no longer safe, some airlines chose Nairobi as an alternative stopover, bringing unexpected waves of transit passengers through JKIA. However, we were not permitted inside the terminal to speak directly with those passengers, airport authorities citing security concerns.
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