There was a scare on Monday night when a Nairobi-bound Air France flight was forced to divert and land back in Paris after experiencing mechanical problems mid-flight.
Flight AF 814 had taken off from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) when the pilot reported the mechanical problems two hours into the flight, telling passengers that he had to return to Paris.
He explained that the Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner was having problems with its de-icing system, which meant that one of the engines couldn’t clear the ice.
“There is no way we can get to Nairobi and we have to turn back,” the pilot announced to anxious passengers, who included elite athlete Nelvin Jepkemboi, who won Sunday’s 10km Paris road race in the heart of the French capital.
“We also have to defuel as we have too much fuel to land at Charles de Gaulle, but that’s nothing to worry about,” the pilot announced as he circled back from Italian airspace near the city of Verona, dumping the fuel before landing back in Paris at around 3pm.
“Unfortunately, your flight AF814 from Paris (CDG) to Nairobi (NBO) on 16.10.2023 has been delayed. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience. KLM will keep you informed of any updates,” Air France’s codeshare partner KLM said in a statement.
The rescheduled flight was due to depart at 2100 Paris time on Monday and arrive in Nairobi at 0630 Kenyan time on Tuesday morning.
The incident comes a few days after a Kenya Airways (KQ) flight en route to Nairobi, from London, United Kingdom, was forced to turn back to Heathrow Airport after an ‘incident’ on Monday afternoon.
The pilot declared an emergency soon after take-off after a passenger suffered from a “medical emergency”.
The flight was already well into its journey when it made a U-turn and returned to its point of departure, said the national airline in a statement.
“Kenya Airways Plc confirms that on Monday, October 9, 2023, at around 13:56hrs KQ100 operating from London to Nairobi, had to turn back to London’s Heathrow Airport for a medical emergency after a passenger was taken ill,” the statement read in part.
The national carrier said the crew on board provided first aid to the passenger and the Captain opted to return to London for the passenger to receive further medical attention.
“The aircraft landed safely at 1447 hours and was received by medical personnel. The passenger was taken to hospital to receive further medical attention,” it said.
The vessel was later declared safe and continued with the journey.
