An Airlink flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town was forced to abort take-off on Sunday, 25 October 2026, after a tyre burst during its take-off roll at OR Tambo International Airport. The incident caused delays and disruption for passengers travelling on the domestic route.
The aircraft, an Embraer E190 operating as flight 4Z 951, was carrying 75 passengers and crew members when the incident occurred. According to Airlink, the pilots followed standard safety procedures, aborted the take-off and brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway.
Following the incident, Airlink arranged buses and mobile stairs to help passengers disembark and transfer to a replacement aircraft. In an update later that day, the airline confirmed that passengers had boarded the replacement plane and were preparing to continue their journey to Cape Town. Engineers were also inspecting the affected aircraft to determine how it could be safely removed from the runway.
Airlink apologised to passengers for the delays and inconvenience caused by the incident. No further details about the cause of the tyre burst were provided in the reports.
The incident highlights the importance of following established aviation safety procedures when unexpected technical problems occur during take-off.
Main image: BusinessTech
