Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced the diversion of some of its scheduled flights bound for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) due to heavy fog that blanketed the capital on Thursday morning. The adverse weather conditions significantly reduced visibility, prompting precautionary flight diversions to alternative airports.
In a customer update issued shortly after 10 a.m., KQ confirmed that several flights had been redirected to Mombasa’s Moi International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. The national carrier cited passenger safety and air traffic control protocols as the main reasons behind the decision.
“As a result, we expect some delays today for certain flight departures and arrivals,” the statement read. “We are closely monitoring the situation and working with airport authorities to resume normal operations as soon as weather conditions improve.”
The thick morning fog disrupted flight schedules at JKIA, East Africa’s busiest airport and Kenya’s main aviation gateway. The airport handled 8.8 million passengers and 380,000 tonnes of cargo during the 2022–2023 financial year, serving as a critical hub not only for KQ but also for international airlines including Emirates, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines.
Airport authorities advised travelers to stay in contact with their respective airlines for the latest updates on departure and arrival times. Passengers were also urged to check their flight statuses online before heading to the airport.
Weather-related disruptions are not uncommon at JKIA during certain seasons, particularly in the early mornings when fog is most likely to form. However, today’s incident marked one of the more significant operational interruptions this year.
Kenya Airways assured affected passengers that efforts were underway to minimize inconvenience, with ground teams at Mombasa and Kilimanjaro assisting in the temporary re-routing of flights and passengers.
As visibility gradually improves, normal flight operations are expected to resume later in the day, though delays may continue to ripple through the system. The airline extended its apologies for the inconvenience caused and thanked customers for their patience and understanding.
