A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 was evacuated after its right rear tyre caught fire upon landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. All 277 passengers and 11 crew members safely exited using emergency slides, with no injuries reported. The incident forced the closure of the airport's only runway for approximately one hour.
Key Takeaways
A Turkish Airlines flight was evacuated after a tyre caught fire upon landing in Kathmandu, Nepal. All passengers and crew safely exited using emergency slides, with no injuries reported. The incident caused a temporary closure of the airport's only runway for about an hour.
- Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 evacuated due to tyre fire
- 277 passengers and 11 crew safely evacuated via emergency exits
- Kathmandu Airport closed for one hour during evacuation and inspection
- Initial assessment points to a hydraulic pipe malfunction as the cause of smoke
- Additional flight arranged for affected passengers
According to Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the fire was quickly extinguished, and the aircraft was towed to the taxiway. Turkish Airlines confirmed that smoke was observed in the landing gear while taxiing after landing from Istanbul. The airline's senior vice-president for communications, Yahya Ustun, stated on social media platform X that initial assessments indicated a technical malfunction in a hydraulic pipe caused the smoke.
The airport closure disrupted several inbound flights, which were put on hold until the runway was cleared. This is not the first incident involving Turkish Airlines at Kathmandu Airport; in 2015, another Turkish Airlines aircraft skidded off the runway but without any injuries to passengers. The Himalayan nation's challenging terrain and remote runways have historically posed difficulties for pilots.
Turkish Airlines has arranged an additional flight for the return of the affected passengers. The incident is currently under investigation by both CAAN and Turkish Airlines' technical teams.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 3 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.