A Turkish Airlines jet carrying 288 people caught fire upon landing at Nepal's main airport, prompting a temporary shutdown of the facility. The Airbus 330, arriving from Istanbul with 277 passengers and 11 crew members, landed at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport when flames and smoke erupted from the right-side landing gear.
Emergency crews swiftly responded to extinguish the fire, and all passengers were safely evacuated, according to airport officials. No injuries were reported. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed that the fire originated in the right rear tyre of the aircraft.
Cause of the Fire
Yahya Ustun, the airline's senior vice president of communications, stated: 'Technical inspections of the aircraft have been initiated by our teams. Initial assessments indicate that the smoke was caused by a technical malfunction in a hydraulic pipe.'
The incident forced several incoming flights to be placed on hold while authorities investigated and worked to clear the single runway. The airport resumed operations after a brief closure.
Passenger Arrangements
Turkish Airlines announced that another flight has been arranged to transport the passengers to their final destinations. The airline is cooperating fully with Nepalese aviation authorities in the investigation.
Nepal's Aviation Challenges
Nepal has a history of frequent plane crashes due to its mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather, which create challenging flying conditions. In 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway, shutting down the airport for several days. No injuries were reported in that incident, and the plane was later converted into a museum.
In 2023, a Yeti Airlines flight carrying 72 people crashed near a central Nepal airport. The domestic flight from Kathmandu caught fire moments before crashing, marking the Himalayan country's worst air disaster in nearly five years.
