Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced flight disruptions in the Abidjan-Dakar and Abidjan-Nairobi routes following a bird strike incident.

In a statement on Thursday night, May 14, the national carrier said the bird strike occurred when one of its aircraft was landing in Abidjan.

The airline noted that the incident forced it to ground the plane for technical inspections and maintenance.

“We wish to inform our customers that one of our aircraft operating into Abidjan experienced a bird strike incident upon landing earlier today.

“As a result, there will be disruptions to the Abidjan-Dakar-Abidjan-Nairobi service as the aircraft undergoes the necessary technical inspections and maintenance in line with safety and operational procedures,” read the statement in part.

The airline said its technical teams are working to restore the aircraft to service as soon as possible.

Further, KQ said it had begun contacting affected passengers to provide assistance and alternative travel arrangements

“We are also proactively reaching out to affected customers to provide assistance and alternative travel arrangements where necessary as we work to manage the disruption and restore normal operations,” the statement added.

This comes days after another KQ plane suffered a bird strike in South Africa.

In a statement on Saturday, May 9, KQ said the plane, which was operating from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Cape Town International Airport (CPT), experienced the incident upon arrival in Cape Town.

“We confirm that earlier today, one of our aircraft operating from Nairobi (NBO) to Cape Town (CPT) experienced a bird strike incident upon arrival into Cape Town.

“The aircraft landed safely at Cape Town International Airport at approximately 1:55 p.m. (East African Time),” read the KQ statement in part.

The national carrier noted that the aircraft was declared Aircraft on Ground (AOG) following a technical assessment.

The airline explained that the plane sustained significant damage to the radome during the incident.

The incident consequently affected the scheduled return flight from Cape Town back to Nairobi.