KENYA AIRWAYS CREW ON KQ 117 EXECUTES PERFECT EMERGENCY LANDING IN ATHENS
(Posted 06th July 2013)
Although information is still somewhat sketchy it can now be confirmed that the crew of Kenya Airways flight KQ 117 from Amsterdam to Nairobi executed a perfect emergency landing in Athens, when sensors from the cargo hold indicated a fire on board. The Boeing B777-200ER with 301 passengers and crew on board was according to the reports at hand upon landing directed to a parking area and passengers deboarded normally when coming to a full stop. From available details it seems clear that one of the sensors had malfunctioned but the cockpit crew took no risks, activated the fire suppression system and immediately, upon declaring an emergency, diverted the plane to Athens. The plane was checked thoroughly and no evidence of any fire was found in any of the cargo holds.
Kenya Airways has now issued a preliminary statement which is shown here in full:
Start quote:
‘KQ117, a Boeing B777-200ER with 301 passengers on board from Amsterdam to Nairobi diverted to Athens at 125am EA time. This was due to a fire warning indication in one of the cargo holds. As is standard procedure which is normal in the industry, the fire suppression system was activated and the aircraft had to divert to the nearest airport for further assessment. The flight landed safely in Athens and all tests conducted on the fire detection system confirm it is functioning correctly.
The functional tests and profiling of the cargo to confirm the source of the warning required that the flight be rescheduled. All passengers and crew were taken to a hotel in Athens and the flight has been scheduled to depart Athens at 5 pm Kenya time arriving at 2255pm today’.
End quote
Passengers have started to express their thanks and appreciation through social media to the entire crew which handled the emergency in a most professional way. As mentioned in the media release, the plane is expected back in Nairobi tonight after the crew had taken their minimum rest time as required under Kenya’s aviation regulations. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from East Africa’s aviation industry.
14 Responses
Still stuck here in hotel. Local time 17:45 on Saturday. The hotel has not been contacted by KQ’s Greek agents what’s going on. Full plane load here without any information whatsoever, no KQ or their agent personnel available to enquire. However online blogs said KQ MD. promised 5pm departure but we are still at hotel. No baggage, just hand luggage
Hello, Can You tell me the name of the hotel. I’m trying to contact My brother.
We are really worried. Can you help me?
I do not have the name of the hotel the passengers and crew were taken to. Have you contacted Kenya Airways in Nairobi? http://www.kenya-airways.com ?
They are also on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/PrideofAfrica?ref=ts&fref=ts
Sorry I cannot be of more help.
Thanks for reading my blog.
W.
Hi hotel is Mare Nostrum, Tel 30 22940 71000
It’s now 7:15 am Sunday Sunday 7th July. No sight or sound yet from Goldair, KQ’s Greek handling agent. They didn’t show up for 10pm meeting last night. They’ve promised another one at 8 am today. Without any contact whatsoever from KQ or Goldair, we remain in the dark and rely on rumour and heresy. Families with young children increasingly agitated. Checked baggage still not available
Hi Ketan and Nebiat Tekle.
Please, can you help me and others, who has a concern. I have not been able to contact the danish person on board the KQ 0117 flight to Nairobi. I presume that all of three hundred and one passengers, has now landed safely in their individuelle and respective destinations ?
Hi, we landed 12:30 9th July without luggage. Had to go back to airport in afternoon to get it. Had to struggle to even get that
Hi Ketan!
Have family members on that flight as well, have been calling KQ without fail, what I have just been told is that you will depart Athens at 930pm for NBO. Will update you if I am told of smth else.
Three nights! Three nights this is gone beyond ridiculous .
Hi.
My Name is Niels. I am from Denmark. I am sitting in Denmark as well, writing this short massage.
As far as I am concerned, I have been contacted yesterday at noon sonday the 7th of Juli. The person who called me on my personal cell phone, told me, that she was somehow concerned because she had stranded in Athens/Greece, because the plane she flied with, on a Kenya Airline internet booking, had an engine failure.
To complete my story, in respect of what I have been told, by my Danish fellow citizen Laetitia, she could add the following. Yesterday at six pm local danish time(I am still danish) she had been transported from The Greek Hotel, in which she had been installed since friday 5th of July because of the failure in one of the engines belonging to the Boing 777 – 200 malfunctioning…
Well, according to Laetitia, her and all of the Passengers had been re-booket, to be scheduled a departure at 21.30 hours sunday. Yesterday understandably !
Then I wanted to follow up on the now, allready, two full days of delay; by contacting my friends by cell phone, at 23.00 hours last night – sunday-. She told me they had not yet departed ! !
Somebody who are able to add any new data, about their whereabouts please Quote it here on the nice blog…