An aircraft operated by local airline Safarilink on Wednesday skidded off the runway further raising the number of incidents that have been reported at the airport in the recent past.
The plane, a Dash 8, is said to have veered off the runway on takeoff.
No casualties were reported during the incident. But runway 14 was immediately closed.
Wilson Airport's runway closed after SafariLink plane veered off it during take-off. Kuna shida Wilson Airport. pic.twitter.com/RCbhncm5dX
— Robert ALAI, HSC (@RobertAlai) November 6, 2019
The incident is the fourth to be reported in less than a month at the airport.
Read: Safarilink Aviation Plane Skids Off Wilson Airport Runway, Tyre Bursts
With many Kenyans decrying the safety of Safarilink and Silverstone airlines it has now emerged that the airport needs to be upgraded.
A source intimated to this desk that Wilson is not fit for planes above 7 tonnes as it was designed for smaller planes.
“There was a notam given by KCAA [Kenya Civil Aviation Authority] which stated that any plane above 7tonnes should not operate from Wilson, ” said the source who sought anonymity.
“It means a Dash 8 100/200/300/400 , Fokker 50s, Embraer 120s can’t operate from Wilson.”
Late last month, a Safarilink plane veered off the runway at Wilson Airport at around 6.25pm.
Read Also: Silverstone Air Suspends Homa Bay, Wajir And Lodwar Routes
One of its tyres is said to have burst into flames as officials ran to the rescue.
This was nearly a week after an aircraft belonging to Silverstone hit and damaged another plane at the Wilson Airport.
Early October, another plane operated by Silverstone skidded off the runway and crashed shortly after take-off leaving at least nine passengers with injuries.
The aircraft that was headed to Lamu crashed shortly after takeoff due to overloading and disregard to the safety regulations at the airport.
Read Also: Aviation Authority Swings Into Action After Outcry Over Silverstone Air Safety
Recently, the aviation authority revealed that it had launched a probe into incidents and an accident involving Silverstone Air.
In a statement, the state corporation announced that the audit is being performed to determine the airline’s level of compliance with the “current Civil Aviation regulations and their own company approved manuals and procedures.”
“The investigations are being conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Department (ARID) of the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works, ” the statement read in part.
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