Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has said an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), for the Radar at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) encountered a fault, prompting air traffic controller to divert some flights.
The CAA said the Radar was turned off to allow for replacement adding that the UPS was replaced after 41 minutes and is up and running.
According to a statement signed by signed by, Director General , Gilbert Kibe of the CAA, it took 1 hour 35 minutes to stabilse the systems and normal air service resumed.
He said: “When Radar is not operating, our Air Traffic Controllers increase the separation between aircrafts in order to ensure safety. The results in flight time delays.
“KCAA confirms that two flights were diverted, one flying from Mombasa International Airport to JKIA was returned back to Mombasa, and another from Eldoret International airport diverted to Kisumu international airport. Nine flights were delayed on ground at JKIA and two on ground at Kisumu international airport, while fifteen (15) were put on holding patterns in the air. This is how we maintained air safety around the Nairobi airspace.”
“Air Traffic control is currently working to clear the backlog on the ground. Even as we ensure the safety of the traveling public, we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
