A Dubai-bound Kenya Airways (KQ) flight was forced to turn back to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after a tyre situation.
Speculations were rife on social media with users sharing flight radar screenshots showing that the flight made a turnaround at Wajir.
Tension gripped those who interacted with the posts as uncertainties over what could have gone wrong with the aircraft grew.
In a subsequent statement, Kenya Airways (KQ) confirmed the incident noting that JKIA Air Traffic Control encountered tyre debris during a regular runway inspection.
Upon further inspection, the KQ operations team concluded that the tyre debris was from KQ 310, the aircraft which had departed on a scheduled flight from Nairobi to Dubai.
The KQ operations team then contacted the crew and agreed on a precautionary air turnback to Nairobi for further technical attention.
According to the statement, the plane’s crew followed the precautionary safety procedures in consultation with operations control and returned to Nairobi safely.
As per the KQ statement, the aircraft landed at the JKIA at 23:46 hrs without any incident.
Further in the statement, KQ noted that it had arranged for the accommodation of all passengers in the botched flight.
In addition, the company assured that it would rebook the passengers on the next available flight.
“Air turnbacks are standard safety procedures in aviation,'” KQ stated.
“We sincerely apologize to our guests for the inconvenience and assure our customers that their safety and that of our crew is our highest priority.”
The incident on Friday, December 15, added to the long list of previously reported cases of flight disruption.
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Two days earlier, a former Ghanaian Minister Prof Kwesi Yankah went public with information explaining a near death situation while flying the airline to Nairobi from South Africa.
In his narration, the ex-minister explained that he was forced to abandon his booked flight with KQ after having encountered a horrific situation twice while trying to take off from Cape Town.
However, KQ was yet to respond to the revelations by Prof Yankah.
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The incidents have since raised questions on the fate of the once giant airline in Africa identified as the “Pride of Africa”.
In a statement on Friday, December 9, KQ had issued a notice informing its customers about possible flight disruptions.
According to the letter, the aviation industry was facing logistical challenges in accessing spare parts and hence leaving aircrafts grounded for long periods.
On Friday, December 15, KQ shared another statement refuting claims that the disruptions experienced by its customers were caused by a shortage in crew members.
