By Marline Atieno
In a tense turn of events, a chartered aircraft carrying 266 passengers to Frankfurt, Germany was compelled to make an emergency landing at Moi International Airport just two minutes after takeoff.
The occurrence, which took place approximately at 12:22 p.m., impacted the aircraft’s left engine.
Reports indicate that the aircraft suffered a malfunction believed to have been caused by a bird strike during its ascent.
This unexpected event prompted the flight crew to swiftly enact emergency procedures, leading to the diversion of the flight to Moi International Airport for an immediate landing.
The airport manager, Abel Gogo, disclosed that upon arrival, the aircraft was promptly grounded for safety reasons. Subsequent investigations revealed the extent of the damage, indicating that the plane is currently undergoing repair efforts.
“ It is a charter plane that normally comes to Mombasa from Europe and the aircraft is still here undergoing repairs,” Gogo said.
Emergency response teams reacted to the alert by deploying eight fire engines and over 10 ambulances, successfully evacuating all 266 individuals aboard to safety.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among the passengers or crew during the ordeal.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident to determine the exact cause of the malfunction and to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
In the meantime, Moi International Airport remains operational, with flights proceeding as scheduled while the affected aircraft undergoes repairs.