A passenger plane headed to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has been ordered back to Nairobi after a suspected leakage of hazardous biological material.
Flight KQ484 was on its way to Julius Nyerere International Airport when Kenyan authorities ordered it back, 25 minutes after take off.
The plane was ordered back on suspicion of a TB exposure following a leak in the cargo hold from a previous flight resulting in passengers getting grounded.
A source privy to the incident told the Daily Nation that passengers have been told that there might have been some hazardous biological material (Tuberculosis Bacilli) leakage in the cargo hold from a previous flight.
“We are in the apron waiting to go back. They say the TB exposure is suspected to be in the hold of the plane,” said our source.
Already, health authorities have boarded the aircraft and are taking the passengers' contact details. According to our source, the cargo hold has been fumigated.
However, the passengers are not sure when the flight will be allowed to proceed, a situation that is causing agitation among some passengers.
The Daily Nation went through Flight Radar data which showed that the plane departed JKIA at 12.48pm and was scheduled to land in Dar at 2pm.
However, while flying over Chyulu Hills in Makueni County, it was rerouted back to Nairobi.
In its statement, Kenya Airways confirmed the incident but said the issue was due to a “medical emergency” without going into details.
KQ said the aircraft, operating from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, returned to JKIA around 13.40 hours local time, shortly after departure due to a medical emergency.
The national carrier went on to state that the aircraft was received by medical personnel and the necessary health and safety protocols were adhered to.
Further, passengers were briefed and provided with guidance in line with health and safety regulations.
“Upon attending to the emergency, the flight was cleared for takeoff to Dar es Salaam at 15.45hrs,” read the statement from KQ’s Corporate Communications department.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew remain our highest priority. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and appreciate the patience and understanding of our guests during this period,” the statement added.
