Panic as Safarilink plane veers off Wilson Airport runway after tyre burst

A Safarilink aircraft veered off the runway at Wilson Airport in Nairobi on Friday afternoon after suffering an undercarriage tyre burst during landing, temporarily disrupting flight operations.

According to police and airport authorities, the incident occurred at about 1 p.m. as the aircraft was landing on Runway after a flight from Keekorok Lodge in the Maasai Mara.

The aircraft was being operated by Safarilink.

The plane had 12 people on board, comprising two crew members and 10 passengers.

Authorities said the aircraft experienced a tyre burst on its undercarriage during landing, causing it to veer off the runway.

No injuries were reported among the crew or passengers.

Following the incident, Runway 14/32 was temporarily closed to allow recovery teams to tow the aircraft to the hangar before normal operations resumed.

Authorities are expected to investigate the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the tyre failure.

Meanwhile, a Canadian national was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after he was allegedly found in possession of five passports belonging to other individuals.

According to police, the suspect arrived at Terminal 2 International Arrivals on July 3 aboard a Mandeeq Air flight from Somalia.

He presented his Canadian passport for immigration clearance before being intercepted by a multi-agency security team during routine document verification.

Police said a search revealed that, besides his own Canadian passport, the man was carrying five passports issued in the names of other people.

Investigators said the suspect failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for possessing the travel documents.

He was arrested and taken to JKIA Police Station, where he was held pending investigations.

Police are investigating the circumstances under which the suspect came into possession of the passports and whether the case is linked to immigration or other transnational crimes.

No charges had been announced at the time of the report.