Bird strike causes shut down of Kenya’s main airport
Birds hit a plane destined for Amsterdam on Monday morning halting operations at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Kenya has reopened its main airport in Nairobi after it was shut down for several hours because birds hit a cargo plane and forced it to abandon takeoff.
All outgoing planes were grounded and those arriving diverted following the Monday morning incident.
The affected cargo aircraft headed to Amsterdam developed technical issues after the incident, according to the Kenya Airports Authority.
In a statement, it said 11 out of the plane's 16 rear tires ''were punctured'' and that 100 tonnes of cargo had to be evacuated and the damaged tires replaced for the aircraft be towed to safety.
The runway was later reopened and operations at the airport resumed. The authorities say they ''regret the inconvenience caused'' by the incident. ''Our top priority is the safety of all passengers,'' they added.