KQ flight turns back to Nairobi after failed landing attempts in Kigali

Kenya Airways has confirmed that one of its flights was forced to return to Nairobi on Saturday morning after encountering poor weather conditions while attempting to land in Rwanda.

The airline said flight KQ470, which had departed Nairobi for Kigali, ran into low visibility and deteriorating weather during its normal approach to Kigali International Airport at about 9:10 am East African Time.

The crew made two unsuccessful attempts to land before electing to turn the aircraft back to Nairobi as a safety precaution.

“Kenya Airways PLC (KQ) confirms that on 15 February 2026, at approximately 09:10 hrs (East African Time), KQ 470, on a scheduled operation from Nairobi to Kigali, encountered low visibility and deteriorating weather during the normal approach to land at Kigali International Airport. After two unsuccessful attempts to land, the crew elected to return to Nairobi for the safety of the passengers and crew on board,” the statement read.

“The aircraft landed safely in Nairobi at 10:39 hrs (East African Time). Once the weather in Kigali had cleared, the flight was cleared for departure to Kigali at 12:07 hrs (East African Time) and landed safely at 13:31 hrs (East African Time).”

The aircraft landed safely in Nairobi at 10:39 am. After weather conditions in Kigali improved, the flight was later cleared to depart Nairobi at 12:07 pm and landed safely in Kigali at 1:31 pm.

Kenya Airways noted that air turnbacks are standard safety procedures but said the incident caused a knock-on delay to flight KQ270 from Nairobi to Mauritius.

The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 12:40 pm, was rescheduled to leave at 4:40 pm.

The airline said it had contacted affected passengers and was providing necessary assistance, while apologising for the inconvenience.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for the inconvenience and assure our customers that their safety and that of our crew are our highest priorities,” the airline said.