Nairobi, March 21, 2012 (10.30pm) …Kenya Airways has just received news of an attempted coup de’ etat in Mali. 

Following the incident, and after communication with the pilot, Kenya Airways managed to divert its flight KQ 513- a Boeing 737-700 from Dakar, Senegal, to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

The Aircraft which was en route to Bamako in Mali was diverted 30 minutes from the capital city of Mali.

According to Kenya Airways Group Managing Director & CEO Dr. Titus Naikuni, the aircraft had 60 passengers on board – 53 in economy and 7 in business class. All the passengers, crew and aircraft are safe.

Dr. Naikuni added that all Kenya Airways staff in Bamako are safe and that the airline will continue to monitor the situation and provide any update as and when available .

Following his telephone conversation with Foreign Affairs Minister, Moses Wetangula, Dr. Naikuni said that the minister confirmed he was safe together with his Personal Assistant, Boniface Munzola, Gilbert Ng’eno from Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa and Anthony Safari from Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi.

Dr. Naikuni said Kenya Airways would do its best to try and get the passengers who are in Mali out of the situation.