A Turkish Airlines passenger jet was evacuated immediately after landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday when a fire erupted in one of its rear tires, airport officials confirmed. The incident caused a temporary halt in airport operations, forcing authorities to suspend flights for close to an hour as emergency responders tackled the blaze.
The Airbus A330, which had flown in from Istanbul, was carrying 277 passengers and 11 crew members at the time. Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority reported that smoke and flames were spotted in the right rear landing gear area while the aircraft was taxiing on the runway after touchdown.
Emergency teams promptly arrived and extinguished the fire before towing the plane away from the active taxiway. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated via emergency exits, with no injuries reported.
Officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated that the aircraft has been grounded for a thorough technical inspection as investigations continue to determine the precise cause of the malfunction. The temporary closure of Kathmandu airport briefly disrupted scheduled flights before normal operations resumed later in the day.
In a significant development, Turkish Airlines released a statement acknowledging smoke detected in the landing gear section during taxiing. Initial evaluations by the airline indicated the issue might have stemmed from a hydraulic pipe failure linked to the aircraft’s landing system.
The airline also arranged an additional flight to assist passengers affected by the disruption with their onward journeys. Aviation authorities and airline engineers remain engaged in detailed inspections to assess the full scope of the technical fault.
