KQ honours crew of diverted flight for their professionalism

Kenya Airways on Saturday night hosted a reception for the crew of flight KQ100 which was on Thursday diverted over a security scare.

In a statement on Sunday through its X platform, the national carrier praised the crew for the manner they handled the incident. 

The airline said the crew practiced their professionalism and patience in ensuring the safety and well being of those onboard.

"We are proud of the team for showing leadership and taking the necessary security precautions, exercising a high level of safety measures onboard as per the aviation security training. You demonstrated the true spirit of The Pride of Africa #KQ100," the airline said.

The event was hosted by KQ Group MD and CEO Allan Kilavuka, COO Capt George Kamal, CFO Hellen Mwariri, Fleet Manager B787 Capt Ahmed Hassan among other officials.

They said it was as a token of appreciation to the crew to acknowledge their courage and dedication.

A Heathrow bound KQ100, a Boeing 787, was on October 12 intercepted by Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets and diverted to Stansted Airport over a "potential security threat".

Kenya Airways said it received the alert and carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat in conjunction with the security authorities.

"The crew on board were briefed, and all safety and security precautions were taken to ensure the safety and security of our crew and passengers on board," an airline spokesman said.

KQ later clarified that the Boeing 787 flight did not have any security issues before or after landing upon diversion.

"The aircraft landed safely at London Stansted Airport, the incident has been stood down and the airport is open and is operating as normal," the company said terming the threat as one of low credibility.

CEO Allan Kilavuka said, "There was suspicion of some of the people on board. But nothing to do with a bomb or anything like that.

"The precautions that we were taking was because that threat had been raised and so we just wanted to make sure that there was nothing untoward," he said.