Airport authorities and the Kenya Airways have provided more details about the aircraft incident that led to the closure of the runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for over an hour on Tuesday.
In a statement, KQ confirmed receiving reports from Sharjah Airport authorities about a blown-out tyre on one of its aircraft, a Boeing 737 Freighter.
The control team operations informed the pilots to divert the aircraft, which was scheduled to land in Juba, to Nairobi. Upon arrival in Nairobi at 12:55 pm, the pilots performed an overflight to allow the operations team to determine whether the plane had enough wheels to land safely.
“Our team ascertained that the aircraft had adequate wheels for a safe landing as only one out of six wheels was damaged,” the statement read in part.
While touching down at JKIA, another tyre on the plane reportedly failed, making it impossible for the aircraft to proceed on the runway.
Following the incident, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) released a statement declaring the temporary closure of the runway.
An hour later, normal operations resumed at the airport as the aircraft was towed from the runway.
“Kenya Airways, in close collaboration with the airport authority and regulator KCAA, diligently worked to replace the tyres and tow the aircraft to safety. The aircraft was successfully towed from the runway at 2:12 p.m,” added the statement from KQ.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and reiterate the safety of our crew and customers is our number one priority.”