The Royal Air Force (RAF) quick reaction alert (QRA) team mobilized to intercept a Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on Thursday. Flight KQ100 was heading from Nairobi to London Heathrow before RAF Typhoons arrived on the scene.
The 787 is currently taxiing at London Stansted following the interception that took place over British airspace. The plane has vacated the site’s Runway 22. According to AviationSource News, there have been unconfirmed reports of bomb disposal units on their way to assist on the ground.
Stansted is the designated airport for dealing with security issues in the United Kingdom. The facility’s proximity to key RAF bases allows key resources to be swiftly deployed while the size of the location enables potential risks to be isolated from other areas.
According to Flightradar24 data, the 787 departed the capital of Kenya at 09:18 local time, after a 13-minute delay. The aircraft was flying at 17,000 over the English Channel before descending as it traveled north along the east coast of Kent. The aircraft continued to descend along the North Sea coast and began flying over Essex. The twinjet continued its descent onto Stansted, arriving at its designated stand by 14:52 local time.
Lines of aircraft began to form as the situation unfolded, and Essex police started investigating the situation. Sky News has also shared that its understands that the Typhoon jets took over the interception from French aircraft.
Simple Flying reached out to London Stansted and Kenya Airways for comment. Stansted has since responded with the following update: “The aircraft, which was en route from Nairobi to London Heathrow, landed safely and was escorted to a remote stand with Essex Police in attendance. The incident has been stood down and the airport is open and flights are operating as normal.”
Kenya Airways noted that it received an alert of a potential security threat and that its teams worked with security authorities in the UK and Kenya to carry out a risk assessment.
The below images posted on X show emergency service vehicles at Stansted Airport. The aircraft in question can also be seen. Essex police eventually shared that it found nothing of concern on the plane.
Earlier today, a Scoot Boeing 787 was diverted following a reported bomb threat. The aircraft was flying between Singapore and Perth. The aircraft returned to its departing airport for authorities to deal with the situation.
5Y-KZG is the registration of the aircraft involved in the incident. The plane, nicknamed Magical Kenya, arrived at the Kenya Airways’ facilities in April 2015, new from Boeing’s facilities in Charleston. The eight-year-old has had a busy week, flying to the likes of Dubai, Guangzhou, Johannesburg, and Paris over the last week.
The aircraft forms a fleet of nine 787s in the carrier’s holdings. According to ch-aviation, the operator also holds two 737-300s, eight 737-800s, and 13 Embraer E190s.
Source: Simple Flying, AviationSource News; Sky News; Flightradar; ch-aviation
