National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has issued a directive following uproar from passengers who were left stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over delayed flights after the airline cancelled them.
KQ on Tuesday, July 16, responded to a complaint by one of the passengers who were scheduled to travel from Dubai International Airport to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Sunday morning.
The complainant named Onesmus Makau lamented that passengers had been left stranded for many hours after the carrier cancelled two of its flights to Kenya’s capital citing safety concerns.
Makau requested KQ to check on the delayed flights adding that passengers affected by the delayed flights were running out of hope.
“Kindly check on your delayed flight people have been stranded in Dubai for hours with no hopes of travelling due to delays,” said Makau.
Kenya Airways while responding to the complaint went ahead to apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.
Kenya Airways Issues Directive to Stranded Passengers
Further, the carrier gave a way forward on what the passengers affected by the delays are required to do, adding that it was working to look for alternative flights based on their routing.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to you and relay our unreserved apologies for the unfortunate disruption to your travel. Please provide us with your booking reference so we can look for alternative flights based on your routing,” said KQ.
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The airline flies to Dubai from Nairobi’s JKIA two times daily and from Mombasa three times per week.
On Sunday, the airline’s management had only confirmed the cancellation of one flight, insisting that it was necessary for the safety of crew and customers.
However, the airline remained tight-lipped as to how the affected passengers were flown back to Nairobi.
This is despite the majority of the passengers taking to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the service offered by the airline.
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“It’s true that KQ307 had to be cancelled. This is because the aircraft computer system that monitors traffic during flight failed just before departure out of Dubai,” said the airline in a response to media queries on Monday.
Response After Uproar
The airline further said it was working with aircraft manufacturer Boeing to get a replacement of the faulty plane parts in the shortest time possible.
The cancellation of the Dubai-Nairobi flights left passengers who were traveling via Nairobi to other East African nations also facing an extended travel period, as they had to spend more hours in Dubai.
KQ also relies on the Dubai route to connect its passengers flying to Europe and Asia.
The airline has in recent months suffered lack of parts which has resulted in dozens of flight cancellations and delays since early this year as the global supply chain has been affected.
Earlier this year, KQ flagged the risk of services being disrupted because of the unexpected impact of supply chain challenges.
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