Kenya Airways, Jambojet hit by flight delays due to fuel supply hitch

Several flights at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were delayed on Thursday morning following an alleged fuel-supply hitch, amid claims of jet fuel shortage.

Both Kenya Airways (KQ) and Jambojet issued statements, announcing disruptions of local and international flights to their clients.

In a statement, KQ said the delays were caused by maintenance of fuel hydrants that extended beyond the planned time.

“Our dedicated teams are working tirelessly to recover our departure and arrival schedule by midday today, and we appreciate your understanding and patience during this time,” the national carrier said.

Jambojet, on the other hand, said it was forced to cancel several flights to Mombasa from JKIA following the fuel hitch

An airline representative told NTV that all Mombasa-bound flights had been affected.

“All our morning departures out of JKIA were affected. Flights from Mombasa hub are on schedule,” the representative said.

Confirming the hitch, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said that the fuel supply disruption impacted airport operations, but the issue had been resolved.

“Our fuel supplier has resolved the issue and we are now refuelling and ready for boarding,” Jambojet added.

The KAA statement came amid claims that JKIA had been hit by fuel shortage due to pending bills.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka took to social media and said that there was a global alert indicating a fuel shortage at the airport.

Mr Onyonka questioned why JKIA was experiencing such shortages yet the Kenyan government is engaged in a government-to-government (G to G) oil agreement.

“There is a global alert that there is no fuel at JKIA. Is this a result of us not being able to pay our fuel debts, and yet we are in a G-to-G arrangement that is to stabilise the macroeconomic environment by providing an extended credit period for petroleum imports,” he said.

Jet fuel is normally supplied by various licensed companies at airport facilities.

In 2019, airlines operating from JKIA in Nairobi were forced to divert to regional airports for fuelling as stocks of the commodity neared depletion.

The fuel shortage was blamed on inadequate orders by oil marketing companies that sold directly to airlines.

The shortage at the time subjected airlines to expensive jet fuel in other airports where they were forced to pay more for the commodity.

The situation was normalised after a vessel carrying 115 million litres of jet fuel docked at the Port of Mombasa and started discharging fuel.

The amount of jet fuel purchased by Kenyan airlines increased last year, signalling a rise in air travel by local and international travellers.

According to official data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), airlines purchased 661,100 tonnes of fuel in 2023, an 11 per cent increase from the previous year.

This is the highest increase in jet fuel consumption since COVID-19, indicating improved performance in the aviation sector.

hkimuyu@ke.nationmedia.com

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