Kenya Airways crew hailed as heroes after security scare

Kenya Airways Group CEO Allan Kilavuka (left) with staff during a welcome reception for the airline's crew on Saturday night

Kenya Airways has praised the crew of flight KQ100 for their "professionalism, patience and going the extra mile" to ensure the safety and security of the passengers on board, following a security scare last week.

The airline said it hosted a welcome reception for the crew on Saturday night, attended by its Group CEO Allan Kilavuka, among other leaders.

The event was a token of appreciation for the crew's handling of a potential security threat on board the flight from Nairobi to London, which was intercepted by a British fighter jet and diverted to Stansted Airport.

"We are proud of the team for showing leadership and taking the necessary security precautions, exercising a high level of safety measures onboard as per the aviation security training. You demonstrated the true spirit of #ThePrideofAfrica #KQ100," the airline posted on X on Sunday, along with photos of the reception.

The security scare occurred on Thursday, when Kenya Airways received an alert of a possible security threat on board the flight, which had departed from Nairobi at 09:18 local time, following a 13-minute delay.

The airline said it carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat with the security authorities of Kenya and the UK and took all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of the crew and passengers.

However, as the flight was approaching London Heathrow Airport, it was intercepted by a Royal Air Force fighter jet, which was deployed from a nearby military base in London. The jet escorted the Kenya Airways 787 aircraft to Stansted Airport, a designated airport for handling security issues in the UK.

The flight was later cleared after security checks by the UK security agencies and resumed its journey to Heathrow.