A Turkish Airlines passenger jet caught fire while landing at Nepal’s main airport on Monday, forcing the closure of the airport, though all passengers were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
The flight, arriving from Istanbul, landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu when fire and smoke were seen coming from the right landing gear, according to airport officials.
Emergency response teams quickly intervened and brought the fire under control, after which all passengers were safely evacuated from the Airbus A330 aircraft. A total of 277 passengers were on board.
Following the incident, Kathmandu airport was shut down on Monday morning, and several incoming flights were placed on hold while authorities investigated the situation and worked to clear the only available runway.
Nepal has a history of frequent aviation accidents due to its challenging mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather conditions, which often make flying difficult.
In a similar incident in 2015, another Turkish Airlines aircraft landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway, leading to the airport’s closure for several days. No injuries were reported in that case, and the aircraft was later removed and converted into a museum.
