Flights Delayed at Entebbe After Ethiopian Airlines Plane Overshoots Runway

A passenger plane overshot the runway at Entebbe International Airport on Thursday causing authorities to delay other flights to and from the airport.

The incident reportedly occurred at 12:41am on Thursday morning and involved an Ethiopian Airlines plane.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement that the plane overshot the runway after it swerved off the runway upon landing.

“An incident happened at Entebbe International Airport this morning as an Ethiopian Airlines flight No ET 338, a Boeing 737-800 overhsot the runway at 12:41am,” CAA said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said all passengers and crew aboard the plane disembarked safely.

The incident, according to CAA “has mainly affected inbound international flights”.

CAA says concerted efforts jointly with Ethiopian Airlines and other stakeholders are ongoing to ensure removal of the aircraft from the runway and resumption of normal flight operations.

SoftPower News understands that flights to Entebbe International Airport have been rerouted to Nairobi following the incident.

The Authority regretted the inconveniences caused to the users of the airport.

In a separate statement, Ethiopian Airlines said the plane was on its regular scheduled service from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa to Entebbe when the incident occured.

The airline said that Thursday’s incident caused no damage to the aircraft and that it was being towed from the runway to the ramp. Passengers and crew were safe and had been taken to the terminal and cleared normally, Ethiopian Airlines added.

“We apologize to our valued customers who were on board the flight for the inconvenience. An alternative flight is being arranged to complete the return flight and rebook the passengers who were booked to travel from Entebbe to Addis Ababa,” the statement by the airline read.

It says the cause of the incident is being investigated.