A spokesman said the Spaniard and his family were preparing to fly to Nairobi from team boss Flavio Briatore's vacation home in Malindi on Sunday when their private plane touched an airport building and damaged a wing.

Briatore was not on board the aircraft.

'It's not as serious as it appears on the Internet,' added the spokesman. 'But Fernando's had to postpone his return and will fly back today.'

Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that the private plane had clipped a wing on the terminal building as it was preparing to take off.

Alonso won the 2005 and 2006 titles with Renault. He won two races for the team last year.

Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport reported last week that Alonso had a secret deal to join champions Ferrari from 2011. The Italian team declined to comment on the reports. -- REUTERS