A landmark environmental and aviation safety transition is underway at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where fluorine-free firefighting foams have replaced PFAS-based chemicals traditionally used in aircraft emergency response and training. PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in soil and water and links to long-term health and ecological risks, have been progressively phased out at JKIA following a decade of careful operational planning, training, and testing to ensure that safety standards were not compromised. KENYA’S experience is now forming the foundation of the US$82.5 million FIRE Project (Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment), led by UNEP and implemented with ICAO support and GEF funding, which is expanding across EGYPT, ETHIOPIA, KENYA, NIGERIA, and SOUTH AFRICA. The initiative aims to eliminate PFAS-based foams, safely remove about 4,500 tonnes of contaminated materials, and dispose of 130 tonnes of foam concentrate while strengthening capacity-building, gender inclusion, and regulatory alignment within aviation firefighting systems. Officials from UNEP, ICAO, and GEF emphasise that the…
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