Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi has partially commenced flight operations, after a massive fire destroyed parts of the major air-transport hub on Wednesday.
The fire started at around 5am local time and spread to the airport’s international arrivals and immigration area, during the peak season for tourism in Kenya.
The fire has been contained and no casualties have been reported. However, the cause of fire is yet to be identified.
With reports of several passengers being left stranded, the airport has started cargo and domestic services, with several flights being diverted to other regional hubs.
Kenya Transport Secretary Michael Kamau revealed plans to prepare the small domestic terminal to serve international departures and arrivals.
“We started pitching tents on the airside for handling departing passengers,” Kamau added.
International airlines using the terminal include British Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM, Turkish Airways, South African Airways and Ethiopian Airways.
Kenya’s anti-terrorism chief Boniface Mwaniki reported that he does not believe the fire, which occurred on the 15th anniversary of the bombings by al-Qaeda of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, was linked to terrorism.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport serves six million passengers annually, across serving 49 destinations over five continents.