Murkomen: Why Cargo Plane Stalled At JKIA Runway For Over 7 Hours

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday, April 17 revealed that the cargo plane, a Boeing 747-400 belonging to Singapore Airlines, could not take off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (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.

Planes parked at an apron at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. /FILE

"This morning at about 0810hrs a Singapore airline cargo aircraft B747- 400 aborted take-off due to a technical problem at JKIA. As a result, 11 out of 16 rear tyres were punctured.

"The process to remove the aircraft from the runway required the evacuation of 100 tonnes of cargo and replacement of the damaged tyre before the aircraft can be towed off the runway," stated the CS in part.

The former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator further noted that since the aircraft was at the end of the runway, JKIA has had limited take-off operations involving smaller aircraft.

"A technical team drawn from Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Kenya Airways, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and other stakeholders have been working hard to remove the aircraft to allow for the resumption of normal operations," he added.

The CS expressed confidence in the process of evacuating the aircraft from the runway to be completed by 3.30 pm to allow for normal flight operations.

"We regret the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident, however, our priority remains the safety of our passengers. We estimate that the process of removing the aircraft from the runway will be completed by 1530hrs," he added.

A plane that was bound for Nairobi from New York was diverted to Entebbe Airport, Uganda while another en route to JKIA from Mumbai, India also encountered delays due to the closure.

"We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We advise all passengers to contact their respective airlines for further information on the status of their flights," advised Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) earlier in the day.

The runway was later partially opened for medium and small aircraft to take off after it was temporarily closed, a matter which led to both local as well as international flights suspended.

Speaking to Viral Tea, Salim Bakari, the head of corporate communications at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), revealed that large aircraft have been diverted to Mombasa's Moi International Airport.

"This is confirmed that the runway is temporarily closed following a mishap involving a Singapore Cargo plane. Efforts are being made to clear the problem.

"Meanwhile, large aircraft are being diverted to Mombasa. Medium and small aircraft continue to operate normally," Bakari told Viral Tea.