A Turkish Airlines jetliner caught fire while landing at Nepal's primary international airport on Monday, prompting a temporary shutdown of the facility. Fortunately, all 277 passengers and crew members were evacuated safely, with no injuries reported.
Incident Details
The Airbus A330, which had arrived from Istanbul, experienced fire and smoke emanating from its right landing gear upon touching down at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Airport emergency crews swiftly responded, managing to extinguish the flames and facilitate the safe disembarkation of all individuals on board.
As a result of the incident, the airport was closed to all traffic on Monday morning. Several inbound flights destined for Kathmandu were placed on hold while authorities conducted an investigation and worked to clear the sole runway at the airport.
Context of Aviation Challenges in Nepal
Nepal has a history of relatively frequent plane crashes, largely attributed to its challenging mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather conditions, which create difficult flying environments. In 2015, a similar incident occurred when a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway, shutting down the airport for several days. That incident also resulted in no injuries, and the aircraft was later towed away and converted into a museum.
Monday's event adds to the list of aviation incidents in the region, highlighting ongoing concerns about safety protocols and infrastructure at Nepal's airports. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
