Some international flights resumed at Nairobi’s main airport on Thursday, but visitors complained and vital air cargo was blocked underlining fears that fire damage could threaten its role as Kenya’s key transport hub.
Fire swept through Kenya’s main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport early on Wednesday and forced a day-long shut down. The blackened shell of the arrivals building continued to smoulder on Thursday as white smoke drifted into the air.
Investigators say it is too early to ascertain the cause of the fire, though they have ruled out terrorism, and officials say they will build a makeshift international arrivals terminal within days.
“What is key is the speed at which this is normalised. If they can pull a rabbit out of the hat and get international flights moving they may bail themselves out,” said Aly Khan Satchu, a Nairobi-based analyst.
The fire, which destroyed a large part of the international departures section, was a blow to Kenya at the start of the peak tourism season. The airport was operating at more than twice its 2.5 million passenger capacity.