The cargo aircraft aborted take-off at 8:10 am resulting in 11 out of 16 tires punctured.
Murkomen explained that the removal of the aircraft from the runway required the evacuation of 100 tonnes of cargo and the replacement of the damaged tires before it could be towed off the runway,
“A technical team drawn from Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Kenya Airways, Kenya Civil Aviation (KCAA), and other stakeholders have been working hard to remove the aircraft to allow for the resumption of normal operations,” Murkomen said.
“Since the aircraft is at the end of the runway, we have been having limited take-off operations involving smaller aircraft up to Code C.”
He estimated that the process of removing the aircraft from the runway will be completed by 3:30 pm.
The runway was partially opened for smaller planes to take off.
Singapore Airlines Cargo plane’s attempt to take off, failed after its engine caught fire.
Due to the fire, the aircraft’s 11 tyres burst, leading to deflation. As a result, the plane could not be towed off the runway immediately, and personnel at the airport opted to borrow tyres from other aircraft grounded at the facility.
The Singapore Airlines Cargo plane was being offloaded at 1 pm following its failed to take off at JKIA.