An Air France flight to Nairobi was on Monday night forced to divert and land back in Paris after experiencing mechanical problems mid- flight.

The plane had taken off from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when the pilot announced that the flight was having mechanical problems. 

The pilot told passengers he had to return to Paris explaining that the Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner was having problems with its de-icing system, which meant that one of the engines couldn’t clear the ice.

“There is no way we can get to Nairobi and we have to turn back,” the pilot announced to anxious passengers.

“We also have to refuel as we have too much fuel to land at Charles de Gaulle, but that’s nothing to worry about.” the pilot reportedly said. 

The pilot then circled back from Italian airspace near the city of Verona, dumping the fuel before landing back in Paris at around 3pm.

The rescheduled flight was due to depart at 2100 Paris time on Monday and arrive in Nairobi at 0630 Kenyan time on Tuesday morning.

This comes  days after a Kenya Airways (KQ) flight en route to Nairobi, from London, United Kingdom, was forced to turn back to Heathrow Airport after an ‘incident’ on Monday afternoon.

A statement by KQ indicated that a passenger developed a medical condition that forced the plane to land to enable the passenger to receive medical attention.

“Kenya Airways PLC confirms that on Monday, October 9, 2023, at around 14:19hrs, KQ100 operating from Nairobi to London Heathrow, declared a medical emergency after a passenger was taken ill,” a statement by KQ stated.

The passenger was first attended to by medical doctors and a nurse before the plane took the emergency landing.

Also Read: Kenya Airways Plane Intercepted In UK Over Security Concerns Cleared By RAF