Cargo plane that stalled on JKIA runway removed
A cargo plane that stalled on Monday, April 17, morning due to a technical problem at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) runway has been removed.
This plane belonging to a Singapore Airline Cargo aircraft B747-400 aborted takeoff from JKIA when its engine caught fire leading to 11 tyres being punctured, forcing the closure of the runway.
Through a statement, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said that removal now paves the way for the resumption of suspended local and international flights.
“The JKIA runway is now opened, and operations at the airport have resumed. Disabled aircraft has been cleared from the runway,” KAA said.
The closure of the runway affected all inbound and outbound planes at the busy airport.
In a statement to newsrooms, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said that replacing the tyres was underway to allow teams from KAA and the Kenya Airways Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to affect the clearance effortlessly.
“Pursuant to my earlier update the plane has been removed from the runway albeit an hour later than we expected. Flights will resume shortly,” he said in a statement.
Also read: Technical issues and bird strike cause flight disruptions at JKIA
According to the CS, removing the aircraft from the runway required the evacuation of 100 tonnes of cargo and the replacement of the damaged tyres.
“Since the aircraft is at the end of the runway, we have been having limited take-off operations involving smaller aircraft up to Code C,” Murkomen said.
He apologised for the inconveniences caused following the incident, affirming that “our priority remains the safety of our passengers.”
The CS had estimated that the removal of the aircraft from the runway was to be completed by 1530hrs.
However, the plane was removed at around 1640hrs.
The authority said the suspension of flights was for the safety of passengers.
Meanwhile, KAA has advised passengers to contact their respective airlines for further information on the status of their flights.
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