Gulfstream

London Marathon organizers fear that flight restrictions over Europe could hinder African star athletes to participate in this year’s Virgin London Marathon event scheduled to start in five days.

Race organisers have arranged a private plane to pick up athletes from Africa and fly them to London via Djibouti and Spain.

The move followed air travel restrictions over much of Europe due to volcanic ash after last week’s eruption in Iceland, increasing the risk that elite overseas runners would not be able to compete in Sunday’s race.

The specially arranged flight will first fly to Nairobi to pick up Kenyan athletes and then make a stopover in Djibouti to collect athletes from Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to an official from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

A Gulfstream jet from Egypt is supposed to fly today the routing Egypt-Kenya-Djibouti-Spain. Another jet is awaiting the athletes in Spain to bring them to London.