Europe’s cloud of ash costs Kenya Sh300m a day

The CEO said it would take a week to clear the backlog if and when flights resume. About 2,700 people were booked on the airline since Thursday and 70 of their staff are stranded in Amsterdam and London.

Water minister Charity Ngilu could also be forced to stay longer in London as trains to other parts of Europe have been overbooked.

Mr Naikuni said industries that require spare parts from Europe could also be affected if their machines break down.

To make matters worse, cargo holders at JKIA have started asking owners of stored produce to pick it up, meaning they will have to pay to take it back for possible disposal.

“The headache now is where to take the produce. Do we dump the flowers in Dandora? What about the fruits? Where does one take so many? They might have to be donated to charities,” said an equally distraught Kenya Flower Council CEO, Mrs Jane Ngige.

The industry will meet on Friday to discuss the way forward.

Unlike Friday and Saturday, there was little activity at the international departures’ section at JKIA with the few passengers who turned up going back to their hotels almost immediately.

Reported by John Ngirachu, Catherine Riungu and Mathias Ringa