Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Sunday, April 9, affirmed that operations at Wilson Airport, Nairobi County, would continue uninterrupted despite the eight-hour power outage announced by Kenya Power.
Why it matters:
Located south of Lang'ata Road, Wilson Airport is one of the busiest airports in terms of aircraft movement in East and Central Africa.
According to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), domestic flights constitute 90 per cent of the total flights whose destinations include Lamu, Kilimanjaro, Diani, Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Nanyuki, and Lokichogio among others.
With this in mind, how does an eight-hour power outage announcement by Kenya Power affect Wilson's operations?
Clarification:
A source at the KAA explained to Kenyans.co.ke that the airport has a backup power management system that is activated during such outages. He added that Wilson Airport consists of decentralised operations - making it unique from other airports.
Breakdown:
KAA assured that all airports are safeguarded from power outages to ensure operations continue uninterrupted.
For Wilson Airport, specific airlines were authorised to run services from their own points hence they each cater to the cost of the backup management system.
On the other hand, all other airlines that operate from Wilson use KAA's departure terminal (which already consists of a power-backup system).
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) uses a centralised power backup system run by KAA. Through this, all terminals continue with their normal operations.
History:
Wilson initially used a centralised departure system but this changed during the pandemic period due to congestion within the terminal.
"(For instance) You would be taken to a specific departure tunnel using a bus. It was up until the pandemic period that we needed to create a point where there was no congestion. We analysed the facilities of various airlines and hence allowed them to check in and depart from their own terminals," he stated.
Point to Note:
Kenya Power announced an eight-hour power outage from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, April 9, affecting Wilson Airport and adjacent areas including KAA Offices, Blue Bird Aviation, Flying Doctors and African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF). The outage was caused by planned maintenance for the specified period.
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