KATHMANDU – A Turkish Airlines flight arriving from Istanbul caught fire shortly after landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Monday morning. Fortunately, all 277 passengers, including four children and 11 crew members, were evacuated safely from the aircraft.

Incident Details

The fire broke out on the right landing gear of the Airbus A330 (Flight TK-726) after it touched down on the runway. According to airport officials and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the fire was triggered by a tyre burst during the landing process, which led to visible smoke and flames.

  • Evacuation: Emergency crews responded immediately, deploying fire engines to control the blaze. Passengers were evacuated using emergency slides.

  • Casualties: No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew, though the incident caused significant panic during the evacuation.

Impact on Airport Operations

The incident led to a temporary shutdown of Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's only international hub.

  • Flight Delays: Several international and domestic flights were put on hold or diverted as the runway remained closed for over an hour to allow for safety inspections and the clearing of the aircraft.

  • Current Status: Airport authorities worked to tow the aircraft to a parking bay to resume normal operations.

Background

Spokesperson for CAAN, Gyanendra Bhul, confirmed that a technical investigation will be launched to determine the exact cause of the tyre failure. This incident serves as a reminder of a similar 2015 event where a Turkish Airlines jet skidded off the same runway in dense fog, though today's incident was much more contained.