Plane veers off runway in Kenya

Kenya’s main airport had to shut down after an Egyptian airliner veered off the runway, an official said.

Dominic Ngigi, spokesman for the Kenya Airports Authority, said that all 123 passengers from the EgyptAir plane were safely evacuated to the terminal building of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. He said that the flight was coming in from Cairo.

Mr Ngigi said that the airport had reopened after it was closed and flights were diverted for nine hours.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is a regional hub where passengers can take connecting flights to other countries in Africa.

A number of international airlines operate from it including Air India, British Airways, Emirates, KLM, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic.