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KQ flight to Paris forced to return after technical hitch midair – PHOTOS


A Kenya Airways flight to Paris was on Wednesday forced to return to Nairobi after it developed a technical hitch midair.

Flight KQ 112 developed a malfunction in its cabin pressure system that prompted the release of oxygen masks.

The incident happened while the plane was flying within the Kenyan airspace. There were no reports of injuries among passengers and crew on board.

According to the airline, the release of the oxygen masks is a standard precautionary measure.

Curiously, the incident happened on Wednesday, but only drew a response from the troubled national carrier on Friday after passengers had shared pictures of their traumatic experience on social media.

PRECAUTION

In its statement, the airline explained that flight KQ 112 to Paris returned to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as a standard precaution after it deployed its oxygen masks.

“At no time was there any danger to guests or crew. All guests travelled on 29th December morning,” a statement sent to Nairobi News read.

PHOTOS | COURTESY
PHOTOS | COURTESY

On Friday, all Kenya Airways scheduled flights to Europe and United Arab Emirates were disrupted due to poor visibility occasioned by bad weather in the regions.

“The bad weather affected flights into and out of London, Paris, Amsterdam and Dubai and in some instances led to diversion of our aircraft to alternate airports,” the airline said.

The airline said it is working to minimize the level of disruption.

ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

“We are working to minimize the level of disruption to our guests including seeking alternative arrangements where possible as this is facing not only Kenya Airways, but other carriers as well. We urge patience from those whose journeys have been interrupted,” the statement read.

It added; “We apologize to our guests affected by this act of nature and assure them that we will continue to do all that is possible to get them to their final destinations. We thank you for patience and continued support.”

In October several local and international flights were cancelled after a strike threat by members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa) with pictures of frustrated passengers trending online.