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In early August 2013, a major fire broke out at one of Africa’s most important international airports Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta, causing the closure of the airport and severe damage to the terminal. Due to a slow response by the emergency services, the airport was severely damaged and much of the terminal destroyed. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or major injuries to people.
Several theories have been already put forward as to the causes of the fire, some including political, economical or even spiritual explanations, but there seems to be common agreement on the fact that damages could have been limited if there had been a faster response. According to early reports several fire engines were stuck in the notorious Nairobi traffic, and at one point fire brigades almost ran out of water. Police and military were also called in to help with all available means, including buckets of water.
it is 2013 but we still use crude methods fighting fire #jkiafire pic.twitter.com/nyQ9i5uO1f
— Vincent Chepkwony (@vincechepkwony) August 8, 2013
While the fire engulfed the airport, operating airlines had their hopes of resuming flights disappear and the number of cancellations grew exponentially. On the ground, the terminal had to be evacuated and airlines had to find hotel accommodation for their stranded passengers. Online though, there was a flurry of tweets and Facebook messages about the fire.
An unexpected social media success
From a social media and crisis communication point of view however this turned out to be one of the best managed emergency situations we have seen, something rather unexpected given the region of the world where the events took place. Certainly much better handled than the Asiana Airlines SFO crash.
Twitter immediately took center stage and, despite some initial delays in starting to respond, we saw airport authorities, emergency services, airlines and even the interior ministry engage into constant tweeting of updates.
To help you better understand this crisis we have put together an extensive review of the events including a minute by minute analysis of the first few hours of the emergency. The ultimate winners were Kenya Airways, the Airport and the Kenya Goverment, with their timely updates. In our slide-deck below, you will find a detailed analysis of the Nairobi Airport Fire Crisis Management effort — including missteps and lessons to be learnt from the tragic experience.
In-depth analysis
Featured on national television, on NTV Kenya
Editorial Update: Following the publishing of this article, Marco Serusi, who led this analysis, was featured on The Trend on NTV in Kenya, sharing his views on the subject in a Live discussion with other experts from around the world. Marco’s video is embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
- Download the latest “SimpliFlying Airline Crisis Guide” –An overview of 6 types of airlines crises concerning social media, including real-world case studies from recent years.
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