KQ says plane was forced to land in Mombasa to comply with IATA rules

A Kenya Airways' Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at JKIA, Nairobi. The company denied thatFlight KQ 761 developed a technical hitch after taking off from South Africa on its way to Kenya. The plane was forced to land at Mombasa airport over IATA rules, said Kenya Airways. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Flight KQ 761 developed a technical hitch after taking off from South Africa on its way to Kenya.
  • The airline explained that the plane was forced to land at the Mombasa airport to comply with IATA regulations.
  • A passenger, who declined to be named said that the pilot announced that the transponder had developed a problem.

A Kenya Airways plane landed in Mombasa after it developed technical issues on Tuesday night.

Flight KQ 761 developed a technical hitch after taking off from South Africa on its way to Kenya. The hitch started over the South African border.

“We apologise for the inconvenience (caused) to our passengers on flight KQ 761. The safety of our guests is imperative so when the aircraft developed a technical hitch and had to turn back to Johannesburg. Once the problem was solved the flight departed and landed in Mombasa,” a statement issued by the airline said.

The airline explained that the plane was not forced to land at the Moi International Airport, Mombasa, because of the hitch, but rather to comply with International Air Travel Association’s regulations on how long crew are supposed to fly.

“The flight had to land in Mombasa because the crew was approaching  flight time limitation and needed to land so they can be relieved. It is all about safety,” Kenya Airways said.

A passenger, who declined to be named said that the pilot announced that the transponder had developed a problem.

“He announced just after we crossed the South African border that the next air station could not read us on their radar. So we had to turn back to the Oliver Tambo International Airport to have the problem fixed,” he said.

The passenger said after they took off, the pilot again explained that they had to land in Mombasa as the crew was almost completing 15 hours in a single flight and that was the maximum number crew should fly.

According to a police source at the airport, passengers from South Africa were airlifted to Nairobi aboard another two hours later.

The source also said that the crew complained that they were exhausted.

The diverted flight flew‎ to Nairobi on Wednesday morning with different passengers, according to sources at the airport.

“The crew of the flight from South Africa complained of exhaustion. The passengers did not spend more than two hours at the airport as they were put on another plane that was flying to Nairobi,” said the source who added that one of the passengers had been taken ill and was attended to at the Mombasa airport health facility.

Kenya Airways has reported a steady record of losses in the past three years.

The management has been accused of mismanagement while employers especially pilots have threatened strikes.

Earlier this week, the airline announced that it was launching a bus shuttle service from the Jomo Kenyatta International airport to the city centre.