Kenya Airways alters flight times due to runway repairs

Kenya Airways has announced radical revisions of its flights in what management said were the consequences of a planned upgrade of the runway at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The airline’s new timetable now has several flights pushed forward and others rescheduled more than 10 hours earlier.

The announcement comes at a time when complaints of delays were increasing, with the latest being attributed to an alleged go-slow by pilots after their colleagues were earmarked for early retirement last week.

YEAR-LONG UPGRADE

“This is coinciding with the planned runway upgrade programme by the Kenya Airports Authority that will see Nairobi’s JKIA runway closed for six hours daily, from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 am for the next one year,” said Kenya Airways Group Managing Director Mbuvi Ngunze in a statement.

The upgrade starts on Wednesday.

The national carrier said the new schedule was an improvement from a previous one and that it will “ensure efficient use of its aircraft and crew and flight connections for passengers” and boost connectivity by 20 per cent.

“There will be an increase in flight frequencies to some cities on its network, especially in Africa, and changed flight schedules to other destinations,” read the statement.

Mr Ngunze said the reason behind the hub redesign is to augment operations while accommodating the upgrade.

The runway closure is also expected to affect other carriers which use the airport after midnight, including Ethiopian and Turkish airlines.

According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the works will involve rehabilitation of existing pavement, taxiways and aprons, which are worn out.

The runway was constructed in 1978 and was last given a facelift in 1992. Normally, tarmac has a recommended lifespan of 15 years before it is due for resurfacing.

JKIA was built in the early 1970s to handle 2.5 million passengers annually but is struggling to handle more than six million travellers who use the facility to reach destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Africa.

It is among the top 10 busiest airports in Africa in terms of passenger numbers.