KENYA AIRLINES SUSPENDS EVENING FLIGHTS FROM NAIROBI AIRPORT

On 22 December 2009 Kenya Airlines suspended all evening flights to and from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK/NBO) after receiving a notice from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority that the runway threshold lights at the facility did not meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards for safe night operations. The airline rebooked passengers on flights departing on the morning of 23 December. British Airways officials have stated that the lighting system at the airport is adequate for landing and that the airline does not plan to cancel flights. Regional airlines Jetlink and Fly540 have also not suspended night operations. It is not known when the airport plans to address the safety issue or when Kenya Airlines will resume nighttime flights. It is also not clear whether the issue is related to a power failure on 9 December that cut electricity flow to a section of the airport’s runway lights, disrupting flight operations for more than six hours.