A Turkish Airlines passenger plane caught fire near the wheels while landing in Kathmandu, Nepal's main airport, leading to a nearly two-hour temporary closure. Fortunately, passengers were evacuated in time.
The incident occurred at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal’s main international airport, when a flight from Istanbul arrived in Kathmandu with smoke and flames appearing near the plane’s right landing gear.
Airport rescue officials quickly controlled the fire and safely evacuated all passengers from the aircraft. Reports indicated that the Airbus A330 plane carried 277 passengers and 11 crew members.
Gyanendra Phul, spokesperson for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, stated that flames were observed during the plane’s landing and that authorities are investigating the cause.
Turkish Airlines issued a statement explaining that passengers were evacuated via emergency slides after smoke was detected coming from the aircraft’s landing gear system while taxiing on the runway. The airline suspects a hydraulic system malfunction caused the smoke from the wheels.
Yahya Ustun, the airline’s spokesperson, said on social media that preliminary checks suggest the smoke originated from a hydraulic pipe fault. A technical team is currently conducting a thorough inspection, and additional flights have been arranged to accommodate returning passengers.
The incident forced Tribhuvan Airport to temporarily close its single runway for nearly two hours, causing several inbound flights to circle or delay landing. Authorities have since reopened the runway after clearing the area and confirming safety.
Nepal is considered a high-risk country for aviation due to its mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather, which frequently contribute to aircraft accidents.
In 2015, a Turkish Airlines plane skidded off the runway while landing in dense fog at Kathmandu, causing the airport to close for several days, though no fatalities occurred.
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