The airspace at the Wilson Airport has been closed off to allow military activities being conducted by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) at Langata barracks.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, an official from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed the closure of the airspace adding that the closure was effected on Wednesday, April 13, at 10 am and will last till 5 pm.
It was further revealed that President Uhuru Kenyatta will be visiting the Lang'ata Barracks to grace the military exercise.
"Yes it is due to a presidential event at Langata Barracks," the official confirmed.
The exercise forced most airlines using the airport to reschedule their flights. The airport hosts airlines that mostly fly to Kisumu and Mombasa.
Safari link, one of the airlines stated that their customers had already been advised to book evening flights.
“Military operations are currently going on at Langata Barracks. We have advised our customers to take flights that depart after the exercise in the evening. Some took early morning flights,” Safari Link stated.
The President is expected to launch various military projects during the course of the day including the Ulinzi Sports complex which was built by KDF.
KDF in an earlier statement on the official social media pages stated that the event would take place at Lang'ata Garisson.
"Commissioning of Ulinzi Sports Complex-Lang'ata will be done by H.E Hon Uhuru Kenyatta, CGH, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces," read the statement.
Reports on the closure of the airspace circulated on social media during the morning hours with travellers revealing that they could not access mid-morning flights.
In 2017, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was temporarily closed for one hour to allow the military to perform drills in readiness for the Mashujaa Day celebrations.
