Cape Town International Airport experienced significant disruption on 4 August 2026 after a Kenya Airways aircraft suffered a tyre burst on landing, leaving the plane stranded on the main runway.
What Happened
Kenya Airways flight KQ784 landed at approximately 15:25 on 4 August. Shortly after touchdown, a tyre burst left the aircraft immobilised on the primary runway. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) immediately suspended international departures and began diverting inbound international arrivals to alternate airports. No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew.
At peak disruption, Cape Town International recorded four cancellations and 64 delays — approximately 28% of all scheduled movements for the period. The return service, KQ785 (Cape Town to Nairobi), was cancelled to allow engineers to inspect and repair the aircraft.
Current Status
Runway operations resumed after the aircraft was cleared. ACSA confirmed the airport is fully operational as of 5 August. However, airlines typically require 24–48 hours to recover normal timetables after an event of this scale, so residual delays on some services may persist through the morning of 5 August.
What to Do If Your Flight Was Affected
Passengers whose flights were cancelled or significantly delayed on 4 August should contact their airline directly to arrange rebooking. Under South African Consumer Protection Act provisions, passengers are entitled to care and assistance during significant delays. Check with your airline or travel insurer for compensation entitlements.
If you are arriving in Cape Town and need to plan ground transport, our airport transfer guide covers all the options from metered taxis to the MyCiTi airport bus.
For anyone whose trip to the Western Cape has been disrupted, our 3-day Cape Town itinerary can help you reconfigure your plans around an altered arrival.
We will update if further disruptions are confirmed.