Incident involving SIA plane shuts down Kenya airport

SINGAPORE - Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi came to a near standstill for more than eight hours on Monday following an aborted take-off by a Singapore Airlines (SIA) cargo plane that clogged up the airport's sole runway.

The Boeing 747-400 freighter had experienced technical issues with one of its engines just as it was about to take off at about 1.10pm Singapore time.

Although the crew managed to stop the plane, SQ7343, before it was airborne, some of the tyres deflated as it came to a stop on the runway, said an SIA spokesman in response to queries from The Straits Times. The spokesman added that the crew have disembarked from the aircraft and that investigations are ongoing.

Apologising for the inconvenience caused, the spokesman had said that SIA was working with airport authorities to move the aircraft from the runway.

Kenya's Ministry of Roads and Transport said in a statement that 11 of the aircraft's 16 rear tyres had punctured during the incident.

[embed]https://twitter.com/KenyaAirports/status/1647964779720454151[/embed]

The Ministry also said that some 100 tonnes of cargo had to be removed from the cargo plane, which also needed to have its damaged tyres replaced before it could be towed away.

Kenya's cabinet secretary for roads and transport Kipchumba Murkomen said in a Twitter post that the aircraft was removed from the runway at about 9.40pm Singapore time.

Information on flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the aircraft starting to taxi onto the runway at the JKIA at 12.39pm Singapore time, eventually reaching a maximum ground speed of 151 knots, or about 280kmh, before slowing to a stop.

The plane, which was bound for Amsterdam, was scheduled to fly from Nairobi on Monday at 6.30am Singapore time.

Pictures posted by netizen Davis Sango on Twitter at 3.57pm on Monday show a plane with the SIA livery surrounded by vehicles and people on the tarmac. At 4.54pm, Flightradar24 images showed the plane remaining stationary on the runway.

"Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to resolve this situation as quickly and safely as possible," the Kenya Airports Authority had said on Twitter before the plane was removed.

[embed]https://twitter.com/DavisSango/status/1647871822128648193[/embed]

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.