Two flights scheduled to land at the Eldoret International Airport (EIA) on Wednesday, April 2, were diverted to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) due to foggy weather.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, a source privy to the matter confirmed that the flights from different brands were forced to turn back minutes before arriving at the international airport in Eldoret.
He explained that the decision is based on two factors; the air navigation team confirms that the visibility is too low and would place the flight at risk.
Secondly, if the pilot weighs in on the decision and feels that it would not be safe to land.
"It's usually a decision that the air navigation team takes especially when visibility is low. It's procedural and the official call is made by the team at the tower or when the pilot feels the risk is higher if he landed," the source explained.
A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke at Flightradar24, shows that the first flight was scheduled to land at 7:10 am on Wednesday but was diverted to Nairobi.
15 minutes later, the second flight that was set to land at 7:25 am was also diverted to Nairobi.
The upcoming flights are scheduled to land at 12:10 pm.
The site also showed that Eldoret's airport had a weather of 15 degrees Celsius, which is classified as mild temperature range.
The situation, however, depends on the weather develops fog and hence obstructs visibility.
According to regulations, pilots ought to have alternative routes and diversion airports during flights. Further, they are required to maintain clear communication with air traffic control (ATC) guided by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) officials.
JKIA, the largest airport in East Africa, hosts over 40 passenger airlines and 25 cargo airlines.
