Kenya Tourism Board update on Nairobi airport fire

The major fire at Nairobi International Airport in Kenya is not related to a terror attack according to the head of the Kenya anti-terror police.

He told Reuters:

“We don’t want to speculate, but at this stage we do not think there is any such link. Even if we are commemorating the 15th anniversary of the bomb blasts, we don’t think it is terrorism.” He was referring to the anniversary of a twin attack by Islamist militants on the United States embassy in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania.

The Kenya Tourism board is informing passengers with flights from and to Nairobi International Airport:

South African Airways (SAA) has cancelled flights between Johannesburg and Nairobi for today (07 August 2013) and will update on the status of flights tomorrow (8 August) and beyond.

The Kenya Tourism Board UK provides the following information update:

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. No causalities have been reported.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), international airlines and senior government authorities are working closely to assist displaced passengers. The Kenya Civil Aviation has granted clearance for the use of Unit 3 for international departures and arrivals.

The latest update from Kenya Airways specifies that tonight’s flight from London (KQ101) will depart as scheduled and arrive in Nairobi tomorrow morning where it will be processed through the domestic terminal. Kenya Airways flights that were expected into JKIA this morning were diverted to Moi International Airport Mombasa. Kenya Airways’ transiting guests have been checked in to hotels in Nairobi and guests in Mombasa were given the option of transferring to Nairobi by road. Approximately two hundred Kenya Airways passengers were transported by road to Nairobi earlier today.

British Airways customers due to travel on today’s cancelled Nairobi service have been given the option of rebooking their flight to a later date.

Kenya has a strong domestic transportation infrastructure with the average leisure traveler to Kenya visiting a minimum of 2-3 centers within the destination during their Kenya holiday. Ground handler transportation is equipped to travel long distances throughout Kenya. Ground handlers are therefore working to transport their diverted passengers to their intended destination within Kenya as soon as possible.