Kenya Airways flight to New York returns to Nairobi after technical fault

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A Kenya Airways flight bound for New York was forced to return to Nairobi after developing a technical fault while flying over Chad, the national carrier has confirmed.

In a customer update issued on Sunday, Kenya Airways said flight KQ002D, which departed Nairobi on July 5, experienced a flight controls spoiler malfunction at around 7:50 p.m., prompting the crew to abort the journey as a safety precaution.

The airline said the pilots carried out the required safety checks before deciding to return the aircraft to Nairobi for further technical assessment by its engineering teams.

The aircraft was expected to land safely at 12:30 pm on July 6.

Kenya Airways said passengers would be accommodated on the next available flights after the aircraft returned to Nairobi.

“We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and assure them that their safety and that of our crew are our highest priority,” the airline said.

The carrier explained that spoiler malfunctions are uncommon but can occur and may result in increased drag and fuel consumption. It added that its flight crews are trained to manage such situations safely and that returning an aircraft to its departure airport is a standard aviation safety procedure.