Kenya Airways Reveals Aircraft Issue That Caused JKIA Runway Closure
Kenya Airways, in close collaboration with the airport authority and regulator, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), diligently worked to replace the tyres and tow the aircraft to safety.
Marvin Chege 
National airline, Kenya Airways has revealed new details regarding one of its aircraft which was rendered disabled on the runway at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), which prompted the runway's closure and hundreds of flights disrupted.
In a statement, KQ confirmed that its operations control team received a report from airport authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city of Sharjah that there was tyre debris on the runway suspected to be from one of its aircraft, a Boeing 737 Freighter, on a routine operation from Sharjah to Juba.
"Upon receiving this report, our operations control team diverted the aircraft to Nairobi instead of proceeding to Juba. Upon arrival in Nairobi, the aircraft did an overflight, and our team ascertained that the aircraft had adequate wheels for a safe landing as only one out of six wheels was damaged," stated KQ in part.
The new B738 Freighter, the second one this year, and the fourth in the cargo fleet, is a significant milestone in KQ Cargo’s fleet expansion plans. /KENYA AIRWAYS
The aircraft fortunately touched down safely at 12:55 p.m. local time, but while braking and slowing down, one of the other tyres failed, which made the aircraft immobilized on the runway.
Kenya Airways, in close collaboration with the airport authority and regulator, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (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. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and reiterate the safety of our crew and customers is our number one priority," added KQ.
This comes as the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) announced the reopening of the runway.
"The disabled aircraft has been recovered from the runway, and normal airport operations have resumed. Thank you for your patience and cooperation," stated KAA on X.
The authority earlier apologised to travellers who were affected due to the closure of the airport’s runway. No injuries were reported during the temporary closure as well as the incident.
Passengers at JKIA reported that the runway was blocked, with several flights diverted, as per screenshots shared from the Flight Radar 24 tracking website.
JKIA is no stranger to closures affecting the only runway serving the international airport. On April 17, 2023, a cargo plane, a Boeing 747-400 belonging to Singapore Airlines, could not take off from JKIA due to tyre damage, a stall that prompted the shutdown of the runway for close to seven hours.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen in a statement had 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.
