Kenya Airways flight hitch attracts German air force attention
A Kenya Airways B787 Dreamliner.
A flight incidents tracker reported that a Kenya Airways (KQ) aeroplane destined for the Netherlands had a malfunction while flying over Germany on Monday, prompting the country’s military to release two fighter jets to intervene.
The Aviation Herald, which has been keeping track of aviation mishaps since 2008, reported that the Boeing 787-8 plane (Dreamliner) lost its communication with authorities while in German airspace.
The lack of information triggered the German air force dispatched two Eurofighter aircraft to investigate. The sound made by the aircraft, which can fly at supersonic speed is said to have stirred locals from Landshut to Frankfurt.
“Following the intercept, communication was restored and the Dreamliner continued to Amsterdam for a safe landing about 30 minutes later,” the tracking site stated.
In a statement Saturday evening, Kenya Airways confirmed that the plane temporarily lost connection but its pilots found an alternative after a while. They noted that loss of communication is not uncommon in aviation
“KQ and the air traffic control in these jurisdictions are conducting investigations on the incident to determine the cause and take corrective action. We would like to assure our customers that their safety and our crew is our highest priority,” read the statement.
Flight Radar 24, another flight tracker, reported a normal line of flight and altitudes for the plane, showing that at no time did the plane lose altitude or change speed abnormally.
