Boeing MD-82 aborts take-off from OR Tambo International Airport

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has confirmed that a chartered Boeing MD-82 aircraft - on a flight operated by Global Aviation carrying 120 passengers and seven crew members - aborted take-off at around 07h15 this morning at OR Tambo International Airport en route to Lilongwe, Malawi.
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Above: OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg International Airport.

According to ACSA’s Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Manager: Communication and Brand Management at OR Tambo International Airport, onsite reports indicate that one of the tyres burst and a wheel caught fire, which resulted in the pilot aborting take-off.

ACSA’s Fire and Rescue team was on the scene within minutes of the incident being reported. All of the 120 passengers onboard the aircraft and its crew disembarked safely from the plane without inury. 

The runway has been temporarily closed to remove the aircraft and will be reopened shortly.

ACSA said that it does not foresee any major delays as a result of this incident.