On Thursday the 27th Of June 2019, several flights to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were diverted to the Kisumu and Mombasa airports, as a result of radar failure.
Sources (according to Standard media) revealed that the radar system which is operated by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), went down at 5.15 pm and attempts to restore it took much longer than expected.
Passengers at the airport were left stranded for awhile, due to the hitch.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) in a statement, confirmed that two flights were indeed diverted.
One flight coming in from Mombasa International Airport to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was returned back to Mombasa, and another flight from Eldoret International Airport was diverted to the Kisumu International Airport.
Part of the statement by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) read, “Nine flights were delayed on the ground at JKIA and two on the ground at Kisumu International Airport, while fifteen (15) were put on holding patterns in the air,”.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) added that the problem occurred after an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) unit for the Radar Air Traffic Control system at JKIA developed a fault.
Director General of The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA); Gilbert Kibe, said: “The Radar was turned off to allow for replacement. The UPS was replaced after 41 minutes and is up and running. It took 1 hour 35 minutes to stabilise systems and normal air service resumed,”.
