UK (Commonwealth Union) _UK security has cleared a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to London that was intercepted on Thursday afternoon due to what was described as a ‘potential security threat.’
The Nairobi to Heathrow Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Heathrow on Thursday was intercepted by the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and directed to Stansted Airport over security concerns.
The Boeing 787 was diverted into London Stansted just before 3.45pm, but Kenya Airways said in a statement that it was later cleared.
The security agencies cleared the aircraft which will be departing for London Heathrow to resume normal operations.
The airline said they sincerely regretted the inconvenience to the passengers and crew and would like to thank them for their patience.
A London Stansted spokeswoman said that Kenya Airways Boeing 787 “landed safely with Essex Police in attendance”. She said that the aircraft was escorted to a remote parking stand with normal flight operations now continuing.
The plane was diverted to Stansted just before 15:45 BST but Essex Police said the incident had now been “stood down”.
Officers said that inquiries established there was nothing of concern and they handed the plane back to the airport.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said that RAF (Royal Air Force) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched in the afternoon as a precaution to investigate a civilian aircraft which was approaching the United Kingdom.
The spokesman stated that the civilian aircraft remained in contact with air traffic controllers throughout, and was escorted to Stansted Airport where it landed safely, and that this incident was presently under the control of the civilian authorities.
‘Thorough risk assessment’
An airline spokesman said that Kenya Airways plc (KQ) confirmed that on Thursday 12th October 2023, at around 10:30 (08:30 BST), its headquarters received an alert of a potential security threat on board KQ100 that was operating from Nairobi to London Heathrow.
He said that KQ management carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat in conjunction with the security authorities of the Government of Kenya and the United Kingdom. The airline said that the crew on board were briefed, and all safety and security precautions were taken to ensure the safety and security of the crew and passengers on board.
The Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways, llan Kilavuka, said that there was suspicion of some of the people on board. But it had nothing to do with a bomb or anything like that.
He stated that the precautions that they were taking was because that threat had been raised and so they just wanted to make sure that there was nothing untoward.
The Essex Police confirmed that the designated airport for dealing with security risks in the United Kingdom was Stansted.
The airport remained open throughout the incident.
In a statement issued by the airline it said that its headquarters had received “an alert of a potential security threat” aboard the plane. It said the airline and Kenyan and United Kingdom authorities “carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat.”
Stansted stated that the Boeing 787 jet landed safely on Thursday afternoon and was parked at a remote stand, away from the terminal.
It was unclear whether any passengers remained inside the plane while the situation aboard was still ongoing. Neither the MoD nor the Essex Police were able to confirm if passengers remained on board.
Stansted located is some 30 miles (40 kilometers) north of London, and is used for flights when there are security incidents because of its remote location.
