The Banjul International Airport has reopened after temporarily shutting down on Tuesday due to a plane with punctured tyres that got stuck on the country’s only runway.

An SN Brussels flight from Belgium landed late Wednesday evening at the airport bringing to a close a temporary shutdown that affected thousands of passengers.  

According to sources a UK bound flight, Enter Airlines, experienced punctured tyres when it was taxing on the runway and the airport authorities declared a major emergency.   

All flights to and from Banjul were suspended or diverted to neighbouring Senegal. Many passengers were left stranded.

“I’m one of those directly affected. Scheduled to fly on at 9pm but still waiting,” said Amadou Scattred Janneh, a prominent Gambian figure and one of the affected passengers.

The Gambia government summoned an emergency press conference on late Wednesday night to update the public about the closure. The government special adviser, Mai Ahmad Fatty, said there was more to the airport shutdown than just a faulty plane getting stuck on the runway.

“The causes of the problem have a lot to do with ourselves, the manner in which we dispose of waste. All these are attracting birds and other ruminants that affect the smooth operation of our airport,” Mr Fatty said.

He added that there will be a cleaning exercise at the airport on Saturday to deal with the waste problem at the airport.