Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has dismissed social media reports that there was a near-disaster incident at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on September 8, 2023.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 13, KCAA said the incident involving flight KQA101 was a normal procedure when the runway is use is not available for landing.
“The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) was alive to the situation involving Kenya Airways B787 Dreamliner aircraft flight number KQA101 from London Heathrow on 8 September 2023 while approaching to land at JKIA. The go-around by KQA101 was a normal procedure when the runway in use is not available for landing, “read the statement in part.
KCAA also noted that the safety of the KQ plane and the people on board was not in jeopardy in the incident.
“At no time was the safety of the KQ aircraft and persons on board in jeopardy. The Authority endeavors to ensure the safety and security of the flying public, property, and operations remain paramount,” KCAA stated.
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The statement comes after Moina Spooner a journalist with The Conversation who was on board shared her experience during the incident.
Moina explained that the plane was almost touching down when it suddenly took off at a sharp angle.
“Kenya Airways I am so grateful to your pilot for his quick thinking, for keeping us safe and calm. I hope this situation gets fully investigated and addressed. We can't wait for a tragedy to happen before there's action,” she recounted.
“After the plane was high enough and leveled out, the pilot informed us that he had to because there was another plane on the runway. Kenya Airports this could have ended really badly - and clearly something went wrong.”
