KQ admits aircraft’s loss of communication over Germany

Almost a week later, Kenya Airways confirms that one of its aircraft, flight KQ-118, en route to the Netherlands from Kenya temporarily lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) on September 20, while flying over Germany.

However, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s communication was restored after intervention by relevant authorities, the airline says.

Despite the incident, the airline through its corporate department says the pilots were able to restore communications with the ATC shortly after using an alternative frequency.

“The incident is not uncommon in aviation, as aircraft may occasionally lose contact with the ATC for a number of reasons: power failure when flying in areas with poor reception or a missed frequency change,” KQ’s statement read in part.

In the statement, the carrier says they, together with the ATC, have launched investigations into the incident and assured its clients of safety.

The statement by the Kenyan carrier, came days after a post by the Aviation Herald, a website that publishes reports of accidents and incidents in commercial aviation, posted the same and elicited mixed reactions on the internet.

Aviation Herald said that Germany's DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH is responsible for air traffic control in Germany) had reported the loss of communication with a Kenyan Aircraft.

“Two Eurofighters were dispatched to intercept the aircraft causing "wake up" calls by supersonic booms to many residents on the ground from Landshut to Frankfurt/Main. Following the intercept, communication was restored and the Dreamliner continued to Amsterdam for a safe landing about 30 minutes later,” a snippet of the website’s post read.