Sources confirm accidental ‘stowaway’ story despite denials

“We found him. He’s here and he’s conscious!”

This is the confirmed conversation on international airways between air traffic control at OR Tambo International airport and the flight deck of a Kenya Airways plane earlier this week, despite vehement denials by the airline that a man had accidentally “stowed away” in the hold of a plane destined for Nairobi.

Two sources say the airline’s denial might simply be an attempt to avoid embarrassment, since there is plenty of evidence proving the incident did happen.

Kenya Airways Boeing flight B788 from Johannesburg to Nairobi was forced to turn back to OR Tambo International on Tuesday after the staff member was allegedly discovered to be in the plane, which had taken off from the airport just minutes earlier.

The Citizen reported on Wednesday that it was believed the employee may have been an engineer conducting mandatory checks before take-off of the flight.

According to a report in the online publication the Aviation Herald, the aircraft had just started to level off before they were informed they had to return to OR Tambo.

Kenya Airways had failed to respond to any enquiries on the incident before publication earlier this week.

On Thursday, however, they released a statement saying: “Our attention has been drawn to multiple media reports pertaining to operations of KQ flight 761 of November 5, 2019 from Johannesburg, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya.

“These articles have carried a great deal of sensational misinformation with dismal levels of fact-checking.”

They claimed the employee was simply a passenger, who had to be dropped off back in Johannesburg.

Aviation expert Vincent Lessing has, however, disputed this version of events, saying it may simply be an attempt by the airline to save face.

Lessing told The Citizen yesterday that the conversation between the flight deck and air traffic control did take place.

A second source at OR Tambo, who asked to remain anonymous, also verified the facts as previously reported.

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