NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya Airways has confirmed that one of its flights from Nairobi to Mayotte was diverted to the Comoros after a runway closure at the destination airport.
In a customer update issued Sunday, the airline said flight KQ254, which was travelling from Nairobi to Dzaoudzi in Mayotte, was forced to divert to Moroni after a disabled aircraft blocked the runway at the destination airport.
According to the airline, the incident occurred after a third-party aircraft became disabled on the runway at Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport, preventing incoming flights from landing.
Safety diversion
Kenya Airways said the flight crew opted to divert the aircraft to Moroni in line with standard aviation safety procedures while awaiting updates from airport authorities in Mayotte.
“The flight crew elected to divert to Moroni while awaiting further updates from the destination airport authorities,” the airline said in the statement.
The aircraft landed safely in Moroni at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time and later refuelled while waiting for further instructions.
Monitoring the situation
Kenya Airways said it is closely monitoring developments regarding the reopening of the runway in Mayotte before determining the next steps for passengers and the aircraft.
“Kenya Airways is closely monitoring the situation and will provide further updates once the runway at Dzaoudzi, Mayotte, reopens and onward arrangements for the flight are confirmed,” the airline said.
The airline apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the disruption and reiterated that the safety of passengers and crew remains its top priority.
