JKIA temporarily closed after aircraft breaks down on runway

A Fokker plane operated by Skyward which crash landed at JKIA some months ago. Several passengers had to wait longer for their flights Sunday evening when the main runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was closed for hours after an airplane from Somalia crash-landed. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Several passengers had to wait longer for their flights Sunday evening when the main runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was closed for hours after an airplane from Somalia crash-landed. 

Officials said an aircraft  from Somalia made an Emergency Landing at JKIA landing on its belly and veered off the runway. 

Four people who were on board escaped unhurt. 

"As a result the runway is temporarily closed to evacuate the aircraft," said a statement from Kenya Airports Authority. 

The runway was still inaccessible by last evening and all arriving planes were being diverted to Mombasa and other airports. 

Emergency services had been mobilised as the plane prepared to land. 

The incident put on the spot the preparedness for such incident. 

Many affected passengers called the newsroom to complain about the inconvenience. Airport officials said efforts to normalise the situation were ongoing.