Transport CS Kipvhumba has confirmed the removal of the cargo plane that had stalled at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA).
The CS had earlier announced that the cargo plane was removed at 1530 hrs.
"Pursuant to my earlier update the plane has been removed from the runway albeit an hour later than we expected. Flights will resume shortly," he said.
The removal now paves the way for the resumption of local and international flights that had been suspended.
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While explaining why the JKIA runway was shut down, the CS confirmed that a Singapore airline cargo, B747-400, aborted take-off after 11 out of 16 rear tyres were punctured at around 8:10 am.
"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 that a technical team of representatives from Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Airways, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and other interested parties had been working hard to get the plane out of the way so regular operations could resume.
According to KAA, the better part of Monday,17, limited takeoff operations involving smaller aircraft have been 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.
