The Kenya Airport Authority (KAA), has temporarily closed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a Singapore Airlines cargo plane developed mechanical glitches, putting its single runway under the spotlight on Monday.
According thecitizen.co.tz, KAA announced in a statement on Twitter that the plane failed to take off following a bird strike that caused an engine glitch.
“We would like to confirm that the runway at JKIA has been temporarily closed due to an aborted take-off by a cargo plane that developed technical issues this morning,” the KAA said in a statement.
“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. As a result of the runway closure, all incoming and outgoing flights have been temporarily suspended.”
Some flights that were scheduled to land at JKIA including a Kenya Airways (KQ) plane from New York have been diverted to Entebbe International Airport as authorities rush to restore normalcy.
The airport, which serves as the KQ hub, is one of the largest in the region and handles about 7.8 million passengers annually.
JKIA, East Africa’s top airport, has depended on a single runway built over four decades ago. Efforts to expand the facility have ended in controversies.
This latest case is just one of the many incidents that have seen flights at JKIA diverted to other airports following paralysis caused by a disabled aircraft on the runway.
