A Rwandair flight has been involved in a runway excursion at Entebbe airport in Uganda. Passengers and crew have departed safely with no reported injuries.
Runway incident, none injured.
RwandAir flight WB464 departed Nairobi, Kenya at 04:43EAT this morning, and arrived in Entebbe, Uganda, at 05:33 EAT, whereupon it veered off the runway and into surrounding swamps. The airline has blamed the runway excursion on bad weather, making for challenging flying conditions for the pilots.
The plane, a de Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop, is said to have been carrying around 60 passengers. According to the RwandAir, all those aboard managed to disembark safely, with no injuries sustained by passengers or crew. It is rumoured that around 20 of those aboard were Birthday guests of Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the commander of Uganda’s armed forces and a controversial figure in the press.
Airport aftermath
Pictures show the RwandAir jet’s landing gear embedded in the mud of the field beside the runway. Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority has assured the public that the issue is being addressed, saying in a statement:
“All efforts are underway to remove the aircraft from the runway strip so that the main runway can return to full use,”
In the meantime, the second runway, 12/30, is being used for all small and light aircraft flying into the airport.
Whilst the issue is being investigated, sources at the airport have blamed the incident on poor runway markings, which were hard to spot in the heavy rain. This isn’t the first time a plane has skidded off the main runway in poor visibility conditions. In January 2019, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 139 people skidded off the runway when it landed just after midnight.
Have you ever flown into Entebbe Airport? Let us know in the comments below!
