By Hassan Adan
MOGADISHU– Air travel between Somalia and Kenya remained disrupted for a second consecutive day on Monday, leaving passengers travelling to Nairobi stranded at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport and disrupting the movement of goods, including Kenya’s miraa exports to Somali markets.
The disruption follows industrial action by aviation workers at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where delays and flight cancellations have affected travellers using the regional hub.
The impact has been strongly felt in Somalia, where Nairobi serves as a major gateway for travellers heading to Kenya and onward to other destinations.
Passengers in Mogadishu destined for Nairobi have faced delays and uncertainty, while some travellers already in Kenya have been unable to return to Mogadishu as planned.
The disruption has also affected senior officials of the Federal Government of Somalia who were scheduled to travel through Nairobi, according to government sources who spoke to Frontier Online Media.
The Kenya Airports Authority has advised passengers to contact their airlines to confirm the status of their flights before travelling to the airport as the disruption continues.
The disruption has also threatened Somalia’s lucrative miraa trade, with traders counting losses after flights carrying fresh consignments from Kenya failed to reach Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia on Monday.
A Plane offloading miraa at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu in a previous operation. No miraa landed in Somalia on Monday following industrial action by aviation workers at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)
Miraa, also known as khat, is a leafy stimulant plant whose active compounds include cathinone and cathine, which affect the central nervous system and can produce increased alertness, euphoria and other stimulant effects.
The plant is widely consumed in parts of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, although its legal status varies between countries. Its trade is also an important commercial activity in parts of the region, with fresh miraa requiring rapid transportation because its stimulant properties and market value decline as the leaves lose freshness.
Traders and suppliers who had expected miraa deliveries in Mogadishu and other regional states in Somalia are now facing uncertainty as the aviation disruption prevents or delays shipments.
On Monday, no flight carrying miraa landed in Mogadishu or other regional destinations in Somalia, according to traders familiar with the supply chain.
The effects could be particularly severe if the disruption continues for several days, as traders risk losing their consignments and suffering further financial losses in a business that depends on timely deliveries.
The trade has long depended on the Nairobi-Mogadishu air corridor, creating a direct link between Kenyan miraa-growing areas and major Somali markets.
Nairobi is an important commercial and transit hub for Somalia, with regular passenger and cargo flights connecting the Kenyan capital to Mogadishu and other Somali destinations.
The latest interruption has affected more than air passengers, highlighting the dependence of businesses and traders on the daily movement of people and goods between the two countries.
The Mogadishu-Nairobi route is particularly important for Somali businesspeople, government officials, aid workers and families travelling between the two countries.
The latest disruption also comes as Kenya’s aviation workers continue their industrial action at JKIA.
Reports received by Frontier Online Media from aviation officials at JKIA indicate that the dispute has caused significant delays and cancellations, with thousands of passengers affected.
Aviation authorities at JKIA have urged travellers to remain in contact with their respective airlines while efforts continue to resolve the disruption.
When Frontier Online Media contacted aviation officials at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, there was no immediate official statement on when normal flight operations between Nairobi and Somalia would fully resume.
