New York City-bound flight from Kenya diverted over malfunctioning flight controls

A trans-Atlantic flight to New York City turned back to its departure airport in Africa after it experienced flight control problems, Kenya Airways said Sunday.

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The flight, headed for John F. Kennedy International Airport from Nairobi, Kenya, was over Chad when the flight crew became aware of a “flight control spoiler malfunction,” Kenya Airways said in a statement.

“For the safety of our guests and crew onboard, the crew followed precautionary safety checks and elected to return to Nairobi for further technical evaluation by our teams,” it said.

No further issues were reported, the airline said.

Flight-tracking website FlightAware showed the plane landed back at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, from where it had departed, at 12:23 a.m. local time Sunday.

It’s not clear how many people were on board the aircraft. For the New York City route, Kenya Airways uses a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with a capacity of 234 passengers, according to the airline.

The aircraft’s seven pairs of spoilers, mounted atop its wings, act as air brakes and manage the rate of descent.

“Spoiler malfunctions are rare but can occur, and they cause increased drag and fuel consumption,” Kenya Airways said. “Our pilots are trained to proficiently handle these scenarios safely, and air turnbacks are standard safety procedures.”

It apologized to passengers and said it would help them secure another flight to New York City.