All 277 passengers and crew aboard an Airbus A330 operated by Turkish Airlines were safely evacuated after a fire broke out in the aircraft's landing gear upon touchdown at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday.
According to officials, the right rear tyre of the plane, which was arriving from Istanbul, caught fire during landing, triggering an immediate emergency response and temporarily halting airport operations. Gyanendra Bhul, spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, confirmed all the passengers and 11 crew members were evacuated safely, as reported by Reuters.
According to The Himalayan Times, Flight TK726 was touching down at approximately 6:45 am when a blaze erupted in its landing gear. Airport firefighters responded immediately to the scene, successfully bringing the flames under control and preventing further damage to the aircraft.
DSP Rajkumar Silwal of the Airport Security Office confirmed that the fire originated in the tyres as the plane made contact with the runway. While the fire was quickly extinguished by airport engines and the situation has since been declared normal, the runway was temporarily closed to allow for a mandatory technical inspection. No injuries were immediately reported, though the incident caused temporary disruptions to scheduled flight operations.
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Nepal, which is known for its challenging mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather conditions, has faced several aviation incidents in the past. Aviation experts note that such factors often make landings and take-offs at Kathmandu airport particularly demanding.
In a similar incident in 2015, a Turkish Airlines aircraft skidded off a wet runway while landing in dense fog at the same airport, leading to a temporary shutdown of operations. The aircraft was later removed and converted into a museum exhibit, according to The Associated Press.
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