Nairobi — Air transport in Malindi has for the last three days been crippled by a scarcity of jet fuel, which has led to many aircraft being diverted to the Moi International Airport in Mombasa.

This has sometimes left scores of tourists stranded at the small airport for up to three hours, as the planes fly to refuel in Mombasa then return to pick them.

Mr Walter Agong, the airport manager, confirmed the issue saying he had diverted several aircraft to Mombasa and other airports.

"The problem started three days ago. It is not a problem of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) but of Shell Oil Company, which supplies us with jet fuel," said Mr Agong during an interview on Thursday.

A source at the Shell terminal at the airport also confirmed the issue but declined to be named due to protocol.

"We have been experiencing problems for some time," said the source who assured consumers that fuel had been ordered from Nairobi and was being transported to Malindi.

Sources blamed the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) which is said to have sanctioned less than the required fuel before going for the Christmas and New Year recess.

The situation was also attributed to the unexpected large numbers of aircraft that landed in the airport during the festive season.

Chocked

It was chocked with more than 35 chartered aircraft that brought many holiday makers from upcountry and neighbouring countries. This is uncharacteristic for the tourist town.

"Kenya Revenue Authority sanctioned less fuel because it probably did not anticipate this huge number of aircraft in Malindi," said the source.

However, KRA was blamed for letting the situation persist. Efforts to get a comment from the authority were fruitless.

According to sources at the airport, aviation gasoline ran out on Monday before Jet A1 fuel for bigger aircraft also finished on Tuesday.

Passenger companies like Fly 540 were affected by the scarcity and had to delay passengers for up to three hours as they fuelled in Mombasa, added a source.

On Wednesday, a Fly 540 aircraft left the Malindi airport for Nairobi at 9pm, having been delayed by this problem instead of the normal 6pm schedule.

By Thursday, a few aircraft were still stranded at the airport waiting for supplies to resume.

Most of them belong to rich people who poured into the coast for the holidays. Many of them stayed at the prestigious Hemmingways Beach Hotel in Watamu.