Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed why the Cargo plane that stalled at JKIA took time to be removed off the runway.
In a statement, the CS said at around 8:10 am, a Singapore airline cargo aircraft B747-400 aborted take-off after 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," he said.
He said a technical team drawn from Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Airways, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and other stakeholders have been working hard to remove the aircraft to allow for the resumption of normal operations.
"We estimate that the process of removing the aircraft from the runway will be completed by 1530hrs," Murkomen said.
JKIA has since suspended flights as the aircraft is at the end of the runway.
So far, there have been limited takeoff operations involving smaller aircraft up to Code C.
"We regret the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident, however, our priority remains the safety of our passengers," the statement read.
Kenya Airports Authority on Monday morning announced that flights into, and out of JKIA had been temporarily suspended.
KAA said the runway closure resulted from an aborted take-off by a cargo plane after it developed technical hitches.
The authority insisted that their priority is the safety of passengers and that they are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
"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," KAA said.
