The famed pilot who commanded the historic RAO-001 flight from India to Kenya has disclosed her moments in the flight deck as the world watched
Captain Saviemaria Ondego (inset) controlled the flight deck of the Boeing 737-800, which flew the body of Raila Odinga from India to Nairobi.
Captain Saviemaria Ondego was in charge of the foregoing flight, which returned the body of deceased ODM leader Raila Odinga to Kenya from India on Thursday, October 17.
RAO-001 was the flight code adopted in place of KQ203 to honour Raila.
How Captain Ondego braved emotions to fly Raila home
It was not an easy experience for Captain Ondego inside the flight deck of the Boeing 737-800 bird.
She recounted it as the most strange experience in her aviation career but she had to brave it and step up for the national duty.
“I’m Saviemaria Ondego… I’m a captain on the Boeing 737-800. It really was a surreal experience. Every day is not a normal day in our job, and just like any flight, we woke up to just fly our roster. But there was the heaviness and the responsibility to our country that made it not a normal flight,” she said.
The weight of the moment at hand might been manageable it became unbearable when she made the call to the cabin for the welcome briefing pre-flight.
Emotions got over her that she could not let out her voice.
She had to pause, compose herself and brave the weight to address the passengers accompanying Raila’s body.
Albeit shaky and emotional, Captain Ondego took up the challenge with grace, and made her announcement and later a heartfelt tribute to the deceased ODM leader.
“To be honest, I went to speak and nothing came out. And I had to come off the speaker, take a deep breath, and then try again. And my voice was a little shaky, but it was important to me and somehow the words flowed,” she recalled.
The KQ crew that operated the RAO-001 flight; Captain Saviemaria Ondego was the one flying the KQ-owned Boeing 737-800. Photo: KQ. Source: Twitter
What Captain Ondego told Kenyans, Raila’s family
Whilst it might have been a normal day of taking on the skies, this particular flight placed her in place of history after controlling the most tracked flight.
The captain condoled with fellow Kenyans and the bereaved family.
“To our country, to Kenyans all around, to the family of Honourable Raila Odinga; we are with them. Our hearts are with them. We love them and we are one as a country going forward,” she said.
Jason Mosley, the performance manager in the particular flight, also had his own experience.
Whilst it was a sad moment for the country, he took pride in being charged with presiding over the operations in the cabin in the most important round journey ever taken by the national carrier.
“This was both emotional and overwhelming to me, you know, as an individual. But I knew that I had to go because I was representing Kenya Airways, I was representing the country. And it was an honour for me to be the one mandated by the company to go and accompany the flight and make sure that all protocols are observed and the Honourable Raila Odinga is brought safely home,” he said.