The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) runway was on Monday closed temporarily to all incoming and outgoing flights after a cargo plane was forced to abandon its takeoff.

Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) says the plane developed “technical issues” prompting it to abort takeoff forcing the closure of the runway temporarily to avert any further incident.

“We would like to confirm that the runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has been temporarily closed due to an aborted takeoff by Cargo plane that developed technical issues this morning,” said KAA, in a statement.

Swala Nyeti has since established that the plane involved in the mishap at Kenya’s largest airport was a Singapore Airlines Cargo plane SQ7343 that was destined for Amsterdam.

“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,” stated KAA.

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According to Kenya Airline Pilots Association member, Captain Kang’aru Karimi, the plane suffered serious damage to its engine after it sucked in a bird on the runway to takeoff.

“Singapore Airlines flight SQ7343 from NBO to AMS suffered severe engine damage due to a bird strike leading to a rejected takeoff. Flights delays into and out of Nairobi’s JKIA expected this morning,” said Captain Karimi.

KAA has urged all passengers who had flights slated for Monday to contact their respective airlines to establish if there are any flight delays or cancellations due to the runway hitch.

“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 concluded the statement.


This comes only days after Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the government was planning to construct a modern second terminal at JKIA.

JKIA was constructed in 1978 to serve two million passengers each year, but now serves eight million passengers annually resulting in overstretching of its capacity and systems.

The existing single runway at JKIA is operating at Category Flights Conditions level one (CAT-1) and has a width of 45m and length of 4.1km.