Kenya Airways Warns of Flight Delays as Heavy Rains Disrupt Operations

Kenya Airways has warned passengers of possible flight delays after heavy overnight rains in Nairobi disrupted normal flight operations.

In a statement on Saturday, March 7, the airline said the intense rainfall affected some scheduled flights and forced several aircraft to divert from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Moi International Airport.

"The heavy overnight downpour in parts of Nairobi and its environs caused disruption to some of our scheduled flights. Due to the adverse weather conditions, some of our flights were also diverted to Mombasa. These disruptions have also affected some of our scheduled flights for today," the statement read.

Kenya Airways also cautioned passengers scheduled to depart from JKIA to expect possible changes to their travel plans as the airline works to restore normal operations.

"If you are travelling out of JKIA today, please be aware that your flight schedule may change. Our teams are working hard to get everything back to normal as soon as possible," the statement concluded.

This comes barely a day after Kenya Airways announced the temporary suspension of repatriation flights to and from Dubai.

In a statement on Friday, the airline explained that the decision was reached following an advisory from the Dubai Airport Authorities.

Kenya Airways noted that flying to Dubai despite the warning from airport authorities would be akin to courting danger.

"We wish to inform our customers that we have suspended today's (March 6 2026) repatriation flight to and from Dubai following security guidance from Dubai Airport authorities. The safety of our crew and customers remains our top priority," the statement read in part.

Two days earlier, on Wednesday, March 4, Kenya Airways had announced that it would operate special repatriation flights between Nairobi and Dubai.

The airline said the flights would operate on March 4 and March 5 following approvals from Dubai airport authorities.

"We wish to inform our customers that we will operate repatriation flights Nairobi-Dubai on 04 March 2026, and Dubai-Nairobi on 05 March 2026, following slots approval by Dubai Airport Management," the statement read.

Kenya Airways explained that the move came after authorities in the United Arab Emirates allowed limited flight operations at Dubai’s main airport strictly for repatriation.

"This follows the guidance by the UAE authorities on the resumption of limited operations at Dubai Airport on 02 March 2026, with a small number of flights permitted to operate from Dubai International Airport (DXB) strictly for repatriation purposes," the statement added.

Kenya Airways clarified that the flights were not part of its regular schedule but were specifically meant to assist eligible travelers.

It urged passengers in Dubai to wait for official communication before heading to the airport.