Nairobi-bound planes divert to KIA

[Geza Ulole]

From MARC NKWAME in Arusha, 3rd November 2011 @ 12:00, Total Comments: 0, Hits: 84

LARGE commercial planes destined for Nairobi, Kenya have been diverting to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) here from Wednesday, causing a number of speculations.

The big aircrafts, which were supposed to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, were forced to by-pass Nairobi and instead made emergency landings at KIA.

Rumour had it that the move was due to some advisory against Al-Shabaab, the terror group that has been allegedly launching various bomb attacks on the Kenyan capital.

However, Mr Bakari Murusuri, an official with the Kilimanjaro Airport Development Company (KADCO), stated that the planes that diverted to the KIA terminal did so due to unfavourable weather in Nairobi on Wednesday.

"We have been receiving some planes from Kenya here and the information I got from the control tower is that the aircrafts were not allowed to land at JKIA due to weather troubles in Nairobi," said Mr Murusuri, refuting reports that Al-Shabaab had caused a scare at the Kenyan airport.

There have been a series of attacks from the terror group in Nairobi following Kenya's recent offensive against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

Among the planes that diverted to KIA from Nairobi include those belonging to Lufthansa, South African Airways (SAA) and Emirates.

"It was a normal diversion and KIA has been handling these issues in the past,' said Mr Murusuri.

Two weeks ago, a small plane that was flying from Dar es Salaam to Arusha crashed at a farm house near Kilimanjaro International Airport, when it ran out of fuel after being delayed on air waiting for clearance from KIA control tower to land at the terminal.

One person died in the crash and the aircraft's pilot was left in a coma and had to be referred from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi to Nairobi Hospital where, according to the latest report, she is doing well.
Daily News | Nairobi-bound planes divert to KIA

 

[eliakeem]

waache waje tu...kwa maana kenya siyo salama tena.......wakenya wenyewe ni washirika wa al-shabab...... Mashirika ya ndege yaache kutua jkia maana kuna hatari sana ya kulipuliwa na mabomu...... Waje kia kwenye usalama........

 

[mfianchi]

Kufa kufaana sasa huu ndio wakati wa Tanzania kutumia hii fursa ya vita vya Al shababu a.k.a Wazee wa Sambusa kuwapiga bao hao Kenya inabidi hivyo viwanja vya ndege huduma ziboreshwe,pia usafiri wa kutoka airport hadi kwenye mahoteli hapo mjini Arusha na kilimanjaro pia ziboreshwe,huu si wakati wa kupiga domo mi nilitarajia waziri wa mawasiliano saa hizi angekuwa hapo KIA kuhakikisha mambo yanaenda mswano

 

[Geza Ulole]

Guys, lets not be opportunists, We Tanzanians are fond of adhering to our principles of which ethics and fairness are a foundation of all what we are made of! being opportunistic isn't one of them! Lets just pray for them to succeed on wiping off the Al-Shabaabs since they are a threat to the whole region! They captured ships destined to Tanzania also and they would have hijacked tourists in Zanzibar also if not the prompt intervention of Kenya aimed to drive them out of their bases.