An Airlink flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town aborted its take-off at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, 25 October, after a tyre burst during the take-off roll.
Flight 4Z951 was operated by an Embraer E190AR, registered ZS-YAR, with 75 passengers and crew on board. The pilots brought the aircraft to a stop on Runway 03L in accordance with standard procedures, Airlink confirmed in a statement issued at 17:25. The aircraft remained on the runway while arrangements were made to transfer passengers to a replacement aircraft.
At the time of writing, Runway 03L remained out of service several hours after the incident.
Airlink Arranges Replacement Aircraft
Airlink said buses and mobile stairs had been dispatched to the aircraft to facilitate the transfer of passengers. A replacement aircraft was being prepared and boarded before departing for Cape Town.
Flight-tracking data showed the replacement service departing Johannesburg for Cape Town, with the aircraft later appearing on approach to Cape Town International Airport at 21:05.
The airline apologised to passengers for the delays and disruption caused by the incident.
“Airlink apologises for the delay, the disruption and the resulting inconvenience it has caused to travellers,”
Runway 03L Remains Closed
The continued closure of Runway 03L raised questions about how long the runway would remain unavailable and whether the incident had affected other flights at OR Tambo. Debris from the burst tyre may have contributed to the runway’s continued closure, although neither Airlink nor Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) had confirmed this.
OR Tambo has two operational runways, meaning the closure of Runway 03L did not necessarily require the suspension of the airport’s entire flight schedule. The extent of any delays, diversions or cancellations associated with the incident was not immediately clear.
Airlink has not disclosed the cause of the tyre burst. The airline’s initial statement confirmed that the pilots had aborted the take-off and brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway, but provided no further technical details regarding the aircraft’s condition or when it could be moved.