A passenger plane en route to Nairobi was redirected on Saturday, April 15, following unrest in Sudan.
According to preliminary reports, the plane landed at an airport in Sudan on Saturday morning, where it was supposed to take off to Nairobi afterwards.
However, following reports of unrest in that country, it was directed back to Athens, Greece.
Responding to diversion reports, the airline’s representative indicated the decision was for safety measures. Sudan airspace was considered unsafe for the plane.
Following the last-minute decision, the plane was set to embark on a journey to Nairobi from Athens after refuelling.
The flight diversion was confirmed by Flightradar24, air traffic in the real-time site.
Redirecting of Nairobi-bound flight came after several airlines suspended planes to Sudan. EgyptAir, in a statement, indicated that its planes won’t land in Khartoum for 72 hours.
“In light of the information received about the unstable security situation in Sudan, EgyptAir announces to its valued customers that it will temporarily suspends its flights to Khartoum Airport, starting today, Saturday, April 15, 2023, for 72 hours,” the statement read in part.
State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines stated that one of its Airbus A330 jets had an accident at Khartoum before its scheduled departure for Riyadh.
It also suspended its flights to the country, asking passengers to wait for official communication regarding their new routes.
Reports indicated clashes emerged between the military and the country’s powerful paramilitary wing. Various international media houses reported gunshots in Khartoum.
Following the unrest, the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, called for dialogue to address the situation.
By the time of this publication, Kenya Aviation Authority had not issued directives to planes passing through Sudan.
Source: Kenyans.co.ke
