A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 caught fire upon landing at Kathmandu International Airport in Nepal, prompting a major evacuation operation Monday morning. The aircraft, arriving from Istanbul, displayed flames and thick smoke coming from its right landing gear shortly after touching down on the runway.
The 277 passengers and 11 crew members were evacuated via the emergency exits, with no serious injuries reported. According to Nepalese civil aviation authorities, the fire was quickly brought under control by emergency response teams at the airport. Several media outlets are reporting a problem with a tire or a hydraulic system in the landing gear.
Air traffic disrupted in Kathmandu
The incident led to the temporary closure of Tribhuvan International Airport's only runway for nearly an hour and a half, causing flight delays and diversions. Authorities have launched a technical investigation to determine the precise cause of the fire.
Turkish Airlines has confirmed that technical inspections have begun on the affected Airbus A330. The Turkish carrier assures that all passengers were taken care of after the evacuation. This incident is also reminiscent of a previous accident involving a Turkish Airlines Airbus in Kathmandu in 2015, when an A330 overran the runway in adverse weather conditions.
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