A Turkish Airlines aircraft carrying 277 passengers and 11 crew members caught fire while landing at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday, but no injuries were reported, officials said.
Incident Details
The flight, which originated from Istanbul, experienced a spark in the right landing gear upon touchdown, according to Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesman for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority. Fire crews quickly extinguished the flames, and all passengers and crew were evacuated safely.
'All aboard are safe, the rescue part is over. We are now investigating the accident,' Bhul told AFP.
Runway Closure
The incident forced the closure of the airport's sole runway for nearly two hours on Monday morning. It has since been reopened, and operations have resumed.
Nepal's Aviation Challenges
The Himalayan nation is known for some of the world's most remote and challenging runways, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and difficult terrain that test even experienced pilots. A history of crashes and the European Union's blacklisting of all Nepalese airlines prompted the government to announce plans last year to install new radar and weather monitoring systems.
In 2015, a Turkish Airlines aircraft with 224 passengers skidded off the Kathmandu runway. While no injuries occurred, that accident closed the runway for four days and led to the cancellation of numerous international flights.
This is a developing story. More details will follow as the investigation proceeds.
