A Nairobi-bound aeroplane from Heathrow Airport, London, to Kenya, experienced a technical hitch shortly after departure on Wednesday, February 15.
Sources privy to the matter intimated to Kenyans.co.ke that the aircraft was compelled to return to Heathrow Airport after dumping fuel.
A spot check on Flightradar24 indicated that the plane cruised around Dartford, Rochester, and New Romney before experiencing technical hitches at the Atlantic Ocean, prompting the plane to return to London.
The plane's scheduled arrival time in Nairobi was 9:45 pm on Wednesday, February 15. However, by the time of publishing this article, the plane was still grounded at Heathrow Airport.
According to the source, the technical issue could have been caused by several occurrences - highlighting that investigations into the incident were underway.
Alluding to the plane dumping fuel, the source noted that it was a part of the regulatory requirement and did not endanger the passengers' lives.
An aircraft has a Maximum Landing Weight (MLW), which dictates how heavy it should be when it lands. In most cases, the weight is usually lower than the Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW).
To guarantee safety, the pilots flick a switch in the cockpit, which pumps the fuel out of the nozzles in the wings. The fuel disperses over a wide enough area to allow the particles to evaporate into a fine mist.
"In the case of the plane dumping fuel, it is a regulatory requirement to ensure the weight of the aircraft passes the standards," he noted.
Prompted on the timelines for the plane to resume its flight, the source noted that investigations ought to be concluded.
"Safety comes first for our crew and the passengers onboard," the source pointed out.
