National Courier Kenya Airways (KQ) has issued a statement following several failed landing attempts of its flights at Mogadishu Airport in Somalia.
KQ in a statement on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, revealed that adverse weather activities over Somalia was the reason why several of its flights experienced failed landing.
The national courier stated that the flights have been experiencing stronger than usual tailwinds that have made it impossible to land the aircraft since late May.
“Kenya Airways (KQ) confirms that since May 24, 2024, due to adverse weather activities over Somalia, a few of our flights into Mogadishu have experienced stronger-than-usual tailwinds that have made it impossible to safely land the aircraft,” read part of the statement.
KQ further argued that its crew have subsequently opted to divert back to Nairobi as a safety precaution.
The precautions came following strict safety protocols and ensuring the comfort and safety of its customers, according to Kenya Airways.
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KQ Explains Several Failed Landing Attempts
Further, the National Courier explained why its crew did not use an alternative runway approach overflying the City of Mogadishu.
“Our crew did not opt to use the alternative runway approach overflying the city until the Airport authorities in Mogadishu mitigated the security and safety concerns,” added KQ.
However, Kenya Airways have revealed that the airport authorities in Mogadishu have since addressed the issue and that the courier will be able to land the aircraft safely.
Kenya Airways made an appeal to the affected customers saying that they have been subsequently communicating with them.
“We deeply understand and regret the inconvenience these circumstances beyond our control have caused our esteemed customers. We are proactively communicating with the impacted customers. We thank them for their patience and understanding and reiterate that their safety and that of our crew is our one priority,” said KQ.
According to the national courier, it is diligently and proactively monitoring the weather situation in Mogadishu to ensure their customers and crew’s safety and comfort.
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Customers impacted while booking with Kenya Airways for the Mogadishu flight or those seeking further assistance have been urged to contact the KQ Customer Excellence team at +254 711 024 747, WhatsApp at +254 705 474 747, on X @KQSupport or Email at [email protected].
Mogadishu Flights
The statement comes following three recorded instances where planes managed by Kenya Airways failed to either land at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu or had their trips cancelled from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi since May 24.
KQ resumed weekly flights to Mogadishu back in November 2023 with the resumption following the temporary suspension in August 2020 to mitigate the spread of the Corona virus.
The phased flight resumption resumed with 3 weekly flights starting from the month of February 2024.
According to Kenya Airways, the resumption of Mogadishu flights was part of its network expansion strategy and commitment aimed at enhancing connectivity across the African continent to contribute to long-term economic progress.
The statement by KQ comes days after another Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Kisumu experienced a landing challenge as the plane attempted to land multiple times before stalling on the runway on May 30 at the Kisumu International Airport.
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