By Ongaga Ongaga
A Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to New York was forced to return to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after developing a technical fault while flying over Chad, the national carrier has confirmed.
In a customer update, Kenya Airways said flight KQ002D experienced a flight controls spoiler malfunction at around 7:50 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, prompting the crew to make the precautionary decision to return to Nairobi. The aircraft landed safely shortly after midnight on Monday for further technical evaluation.
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“For the safety of our guests and crew onboard, the crew followed precautionary safety checks and elected to return to Nairobi for further technical evaluation by our teams,” the airline said.
The airline apologized to affected passengers, saying their travel plans would be accommodated on the next available flights.
“We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and assure them that their safety and that of our crew are our highest priority,” Kenya Airways said.
Kenya Airways also sought to reassure travellers that the incident did not pose an immediate danger, noting that spoiler malfunctions are uncommon and that flight crews are trained to safely handle such situations.
“Spoiler malfunctions are rare but can occur, and they cause increased drag and fuel consumption. Our pilots are trained to proficiently handle these scenarios safely, and air turnbacks are standard safety procedures,” the airline added.
Aircraft spoilers are panels mounted on the wings that help reduce lift, control speed and assist braking during descent and landing.
A malfunction in the system can increase drag and affect aircraft performance, but commercial aircraft are designed with multiple redundant systems that allow pilots to manage such failures safely.
Returning to the departure airport is a standard precaution whenever crews determine that further technical inspection is required.
Kenya Airways did not disclose the number of passengers or crew on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating the Nairobi-New York route, nor did it indicate how long the aircraft would remain out of service pending inspection.
