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The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Monday, April 17, confirmed that it had temporarily closed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) runway due to an aborted takeoff by a cargo plane.

In a statement, KAA affirmed that the cargo plane developed technical issues on Monday morning affecting all operations. As a result, all incoming and outgoing flights were temporarily suspended. 

KAA, in its statement, advised passengers to contact their respective airlines to get an update on the status of their flights.

“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,” KAA stated.

The cargo plane was scheduled to depart Nairobi at 1:30 am and expected to arrive at Amsterdam on Monday morning, April 17, at 9:40 am. The plane stalled at the end of the runway. This, in turn, led to flight delays for all incoming and outgoing flights.

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The closure of the Airport also affected incoming flights with a plane heading to Nairobi from New York being diverted to Entebbe Airport, Uganda amid the temporary closure at JKIA. Another plane en route to JKIA from Mumbai, India also experienced delays due to the closure.  

Kenya’s Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier announced government plans to construct a new terminal and runway at the airport. The CS pointed out how the JKIA needed a new upgrade to combat inefficiencies and the breakdown of systems.

“Being a key port of entry for Kenya, it is critical that we work on a Public-Private Partnership model that will facilitate the expansion of JKIA to include a new terminal and a new runway to double the airport’s capacity and move the list of the best airports in the world,” Murkomen stated

Airport officials stated that they were working to clear the cargo plane from the runway so that their other operations would proceed as normal.