Turkish Airlines plane catches fire in Kathmandu airport, passengers safely evacuated, say Nepali officials

Kathmandu: Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight whose landing gear caught fire during landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Monday morning were safely evacuated, a senior official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said.

A fire suddenly broke out in the rear landing gear of a Turkish Airlines plane arriving in Kathmandu from Istanbul at around 6:35 a.m., prompting authorities to initiate evacuation measures.

Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at CAAN, told IANS that passengers aboard the flight were brought to the terminal following the evacuation. “The baggage carried by the Turkish Airlines aircraft has also been unloaded,” he said.

According to Bhul, the plane was carrying 288 people, all of whom are safe.

Regular flight operations were disrupted for a while following the incident.

“The aircraft has now been moved to the airport bay, the airport has reopened, and the situation is normal,” Bhul said.

After sparks and flames were seen in the rear landing gear, airport emergency response teams immediately reached the site and brought the fire under control using fire engines, officials said. The passengers on board were evacuated through emergency exits.

Following the incident, the aircraft has been grounded, and hotel arrangements have been made for passengers who were preparing to depart from Kathmandu. Authorities are also preparing to send urgent passengers to their destinations on other aircraft.

According to TIA authorities, the aircraft remains fully grounded and is undergoing technical inspection. The Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) team will investigate at Tribhuvan International Airport.

In addition, the Flight Safety Department of the Civil Aviation Authority will carry out a detailed probe into the incident. “We have started a detailed technical study of the incident,” assistant spokesperson Bhul said.

Turkish Airlines currently operates five weekly flights to Nepal, connecting the country with Europe, the United States, and Canada. It is regarded as one of the major Europe-based long-haul airlines operating in Nepal.

On March 4, 2015, Turkish Airlines was also involved in an accident at TIA that extensively damaged the aircraft, though there were no human casualties.

The plane had skidded off the runway and veered onto the grassy shoulder after losing balance during landing at TIA.

IANS