Flight Operations Resume at JKIA After a Seven-Hour Closure

Normal operations have been restored at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a seven-hour closure on Monday.

This follows the removal of a Singapore Airlines cargo plane that stalled on the airport’s runway following a bird strike.

“The JKIA runway is now opened and operations at the airport have resumed. Disabled aircraft has been cleared from the runway,” Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said in a statement on Monday evening.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ7343 from Nairobi to Amsterdam experienced severe engine damage caused by a bird strike, leading to the aborted takeoff, according to preliminary information.

As a result, the runway was temporarily closed, with KAA suspending all incoming and outgoing flights.

“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,” the agency said. 

Some flights that were scheduled to land at JKIA, including a Kenya Airways (KQ) plane from New York were diverted to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

Last year, more than 15 flights were redirected from the airport after a Fly540 plane stalled. 

JKIA, the largest airport in the region, has only one runway that was built over 40 years ago and efforts to expand the facility have ended in controversies.

The runway is 4,117 metres long and 45 metres wide with 15 metres of paved shoulders and can handle wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing B747.

In 2016, the government suspended plans to construct a Sh69 billion Greenfield Terminal at the airport and opted to construct a second runway instead. Two years later, the government shelved plans to build a Sh22 billion second runway at JKIA to review its economic value.

KAA has already Sh16 billion in funding from African Development Bank (AFDB) for the runway. JKIA handles about 7.8 million passengers annually.