A Kenya Airways plane to Johannesburg has returned mid-air after it developed a mechanical problem.
The airline confirmed that the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 had a technical hitch forcing the pilot to return after takeoff for repairs.
“KQ Flight 760 to Johannesburg has already departed. The aircraft a B-737-800 developed a technical hitch that was not safety related. It was a noise in the cabin caused by a seal that wasn’t working properly and would have caused discomfort to our guests for the four-hour flight. The Captain opted to return to JKIA to have it fixed,” KQ said in a statement.
The Johannesburg-bound flight left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday at 7.40 am but made the about turn mid-air causing a three-hour delay.
The airline also confirmed that the hitch was addressed and the aircraft that was initially scheduled to leave JKIA at 7.40 am left at 10:30am.
The incident comes just a week after another Nairobi-bound flight from Johannesburg was forced to return mid-air and later landed in Mombasa causing hours of delay for customers.
Meanwhile, the loss-making carrier will now be on the spot for such technical hitches after it had heavily invested in aircraft modernization, a move that set it on strong financial headwinds.