Plane Diverted After Failed Attempts to Land at JKIA

A photo of a plane mid-air
A plane flying above the clouds

A plane from Lusaka, Zambia headed for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was forced to land in another country after two failed attempts.

According to data obtained from FlightAware - a global aviation software and data services company - the plane, which was diverted to Tanzania, landed at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) on the morning of Monday, March 16.

The plane had made two attempts to touch down at JKIA airport but failed due to what experts termed as bad weather.

After touching down in KIA, the plane departed for Nairobi and successfully landed at 10:45 a.m - a forty-minute flight.

A screenshot showing the path that the plane expected to land at JKIA took to Kilimanjaro International Airport on Monday, March 16, 2020
A screenshot showing the path that the plane expected to land at JKIA took to Kilimanjaro International Airport on Monday, March 16, 2020.
FlightAware

The incident took place barely a day after Kenya Meteorological Department warned that a cyclone, which had formed in Madagascar, had begun altering the weather in East Africa.

The weatherman warned that East Africa would see a disruption in rainfall.

"Severe Tropical Cyclone Herold formed just northeast of Madagascar and it’s projected to propagate eastwards. Based on the current position and projected direction for this cyclone, we are expecting a reduction of rainfall tonight and tomorrow.

"Once the cyclone starts to weaken by the end of Wednesday as it moves E by S direction. This Tropical Cyclone Herold is pulling much of the moisture from the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone at the moment," a statement by Kenya Met reads.

"Rapid convective development suggests that this cyclone will become significantly stronger while heading towards Mauritius," the statement adds.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, March 15, Kenyans.co.ke, in a special research, discovered that JKIA airport had been deserted. The airport, which is the fourth busiest in Africa, possessed empty hallways and lobbies.

The state had earlier that day issued a travel ban on all flights from areas around the world hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and majorly, confirmation of the country's first Covid-19 Coronavirus case on Friday, March 13.

A photo of a deserted section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
A deserted section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
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