(DDM) – Thirty-six transit passengers stranded for days at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have finally been moved to a hotel after a tense standoff that required intervention from multiple Kenyan authorities.
The passengers, who arrived in Nairobi aboard a Kenya Airways flight from Lagos on February 28, were en route to Dubai when their onward connection was abruptly cancelled.
The cancellation followed escalating instability in the Middle East, which has disrupted flights into and out of the United Arab Emirates.
Of the 36 travellers, 31 are Nigerians and four are Ghanaians.
They declined to board a return flight to Lagos after learning their Dubai connection would not proceed as scheduled.
Instead, the group remained at the Pride Lounge inside JKIA, where they had initially been accommodated as transit passengers.
As days passed, airline officials reportedly found the arrangement increasingly difficult to sustain.
Efforts to persuade the group to either return to Nigeria or temporarily relocate to a hotel were unsuccessful at first.
The impasse prompted Kenya Airways to convene a multi-agency meeting involving airport authorities and security personnel.
Police officers later addressed the passengers and advised them to comply with proposed directives.
Following negotiations, an agreement was reached.
The passengers consented to move to a hotel at their own expense.
Kenya Airways agreed to provide one meal per day to support them during the extended stay.
They were subsequently escorted from the airport, ending several days of uncertainty and tension within the transit lounge.
The disruption reflects wider regional aviation turbulence.
Dubai’s Dubai International Airport has been operating under limited approvals following recent Middle East hostilities.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates allowed a partial resumption of operations beginning March 2, strictly for repatriation purposes.
In response, Kenya Airways announced it would operate special repatriation flights between Nairobi and Dubai.
A Nairobi-to-Dubai service is scheduled for March 4, with a return Dubai-to-Nairobi flight planned for March 5.
The airline clarified that these are not regular commercial services but limited operations intended for UAE citizens and residents requiring travel between the two cities.
Passengers currently in Dubai have been advised not to proceed to the airport without confirmed booking details.
Affected customers are encouraged to monitor their booking status through the airline’s official channels.
Kenya Airways emphasized that normal scheduled operations to Dubai remain suspended.
The carrier described the situation as fluid and dependent on further regulatory approvals.
Dubai remains one of the airline’s most important Middle East routes, supporting both passenger traffic and cargo movement between East Africa and the Gulf.
The incident at JKIA underscores how geopolitical tensions can ripple through global aviation networks, leaving transit passengers caught in uncertainty far from home.
For the 36 stranded travellers, the hotel relocation offers temporary relief.
Their onward journey, however, remains contingent on evolving security conditions and aviation clearances in the Gulf region.
