It Was A Drill- KAA On Accident At JKIA Involving Overflying Aircraft
KAA reported in a statement that emergency rescue operations were underway
Marvin Chege 
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Wednesday, May 31 announced an incident involving an aircraft at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) which was overflying Nairobi.
KAA reported in a statement that emergency rescue operations were underway, with authorities yet to establish the cause of the incident.
"An aircraft overflying Nairobi encountered an incident at JKIA this morning. Immediate rescue operations are underway, led by our dedicated emergency response teams.
Entrance to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. /STANDARD DIGITAL
"We are working closely with authorities as we prioritize the safety of all involved. More updates to follow," stated KAA, though in a cagey manner.
Calls by Viral Tea to highly placed officials at the authority to get more clarity on the matter were yet to bear fruit by the time of publishing.
Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen smoke emanating from the affected plane at JKIA.
KAA later announced that JKIA was the venue of an emergency drill conducted on Wednesday morning involving the simulation of a plane crash at the airport.
"Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) would like to announce the successful completion of a full-scale emergency drill conducted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) this morning.
"The exercise, which involved a simulated incident of an aircraft that crushed at the airport while overflying Nairobi, was organized by KAA as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing airport emergency response capabilities and ensuring the highest level of preparedness in case of any unforeseen events," stated KAA in a comprehensive statement.
According to the authority, the primary objective of the exercise was to test and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the airport's emergency response procedures, coordination among various agencies, and the overall readiness of the airport's personnel.
"KAA would like to assure the public that this incident was entirely simulated and did not pose any real danger to passengers, crew members, or airport operations. The safety and security of all individuals involved were strictly prioritized throughout the exercise," added the authority.
Though the accident classified as a drill, this is not the first time JKIA has had incidents leading to disruption of aircraft operations.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday, April 17 revealed that a cargo plane, a Boeing 747-400 belonging to Singapore Airlines, could not take off from JKIA in Nairobi due to tyre damage.
In a statement, the CS revealed that the aircraft was forced to abort take-off due to the technical issue that saw 11 out of 16 of the plane's rear landing gear tyres punctured, with reports indicating that the punctures were as a result of one of its engines that caught fire.
Murkomen added that the incident which occurred at 8.10 am saw plenty of time spent removing the aircraft from the runway and that the cargo in the plane weighed 100 tonnes which had to be removed and the tyres replaced before the aircraft could be towed off the runway.
Rescue teams attend to a Singapore Airlines Cargo plane which stalled at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) runway on April 17, 2023. /TWITTER
