A De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop operated by the Kenyan airline Jambojet became stuck on the runway after the aircraft’s wheel got trapped in a pothole.
Passengers on board the flight were left stranded on the runway as an airport staff member in a fluorescent vest tried to free the plane.
In a video captured by a passenger inside the Dash 8-400 the airport worker can be seen hurriedly trying to dig around the trapped wheel so that the tire can get some traction from the ground.
The footage taken at Lamu Airport (LAU) on Manda Island, Kenya, shows the runway in poor condition with large pieces of rubble breaking away from the surface.
The aircraft, registered 5Y-JXC, was eventually freed and took off to Nairobi after a two-and-a-half-hour delay.
According to the website Citizen Digital, it has only been two years since Jambojet resumed flights to LAU after the airline had concerns over the condition of the runway.
Jambojet flight from Lamu delayed by pothole incident
— Senior Chief• (@Chief_MDS) September 17, 2023
A Jambojet flight from Lamu to Nairobi was delayed on Sunday morning after the plane got stuck in a pothole on the runway.
pic.twitter.com/M9CqH88Gon
The carrier, which is a subsidiary of Kenya Airways, suspended flights to the airport for four years as a result.
It is understood that the airport is owned by Government of Kenya.
AeroTime has contacted Jambojet and the Ministry of Roads and Transport in Kenya for comment.
