By Roselyne Obala
Nairobi, Kenya: Passengers aboard Kenya Airways flight KQ117 diverted to Athens over the weekend following a fire warning are schedule to arrive in Nairobi Monday.
Kenya Airways Chief Operating Officer Mbuvi Ngunze stated that the plane enroute to Nairobi from Amsterdam with 301 passengers is expected to arrive in Nairobi at 4.30am.
The plane was diverted to Athens on Saturday for an emergency landing after a fire warning indication in one of the cargo hold.
In a press statement to newsrooms, Ngunze noted that the spare required to repair the landing gear door was set to arrive from Amsterdam at 16.20 hours local time Sunday.
“According to our engineering team on the ground, it will take two hours to finalise the repairs,” he explained.
He continued: “Once the testing is completed, it will take another two hours to prepare the aircraft for departure. The revised estimated departure time is 21.30 hours (same time zone as East Africa) from Athens with estimated arrival time in Nairobi at 0430 hours Monday 8th July.”
Passengers disappointed
The plane hitch caused fury among passengers, who protested the manner in which they were treated by the airline.
Even though KQ management stated that they had taken care of all the passengers and crews in booking for them hotels, the passengers expressed disappointment through social media.
“For passengers with onward connections, we will make all efforts to re-book them on onward flights from Nairobi tomorrow (Monday),” He assured.
He added: “We shall continue to provide updates as and when they are available.”
The officer’s update on the state of the flight comes a day after the airline CEO Titus Naikuni explained that the plane was diverted as is the standard procedure on the industry.
