Local media, citing airport officials, reported that one of the aircraft’s tyres burst upon touchdown, leaving the jet stranded on the runway and halting all scheduled flights for the evening
By Asaye Bankole
Flights were temporarily grounded at Liberia’s main airport Thursday night after a near-crash involving a private jet carrying President Joseph Boakai, triggering panic among airport staff and passengers.
According to the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA), part of the presidential jet’s landing gear malfunctioned while approaching Roberts International Airport (RIA), resulting in a rough landing.
Local media, citing airport officials, reported that one of the aircraft’s tyres burst upon touchdown, leaving the jet stranded on the runway and halting all scheduled flights for the evening.
President Boakai, who was returning from a trip to Abuja, Nigeria, where he attended the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was safely evacuated along with his entourage.
The Liberian leader spoke briefly to journalists at the airport but did not mention the incident, according to BBC.
Photos of the grounded jet circulated widely on social media, raising public concern about the president’s safety and prompting questions about aviation safety in Liberia.
In an official statement, the Liberia Airport Authority described the event as an “unfortunate near-accident situation” and emphasized that the airport’s runway remains in compliance with international aviation safety standards.
“The runway infrastructure remains fully compliant with international aviation safety standards,” the LAA said.
The aircraft has since been removed from the runway and normal operations have resumed at the airport, the authorities said.
“At this stage, investigation to establish the actual cause of the incident is ongoing, and the airport authority will keep the public informed,” the LAA said.
The jet was subsequently removed from the runway, and airport operations resumed later in the night. Authorities confirmed that no one was injured, and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the malfunction.
FrontPageAfrica shared a short video on its X account showing the aftermath of the plane’s forced crash landing. It reported that several flights—including those operated by Asky, Air Peace, Kenya Airways, and Air Maroc—were cancelled as authorities worked to remove the aircraft from the runway.
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