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Turkish Airlines jet catches fire as it lands at Nepal's main airport, no casualties

The flight from Istanbul landed at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport with fire and smoke on the right landing gear

A Turkish Airlines aircraft is seen after passengers were safely evacuated and Nepal's main airport shut down, following a fire on the jet while landing in Kathmandu, Monday, May 11, 2026. AP/PTI

AP, Reuters
Published 11.05.26, 09:42 AM

A Turkish Airlines jet caught fire while landing at Nepal's main airport on Monday, causing no reported injuries but forcing the airport to shut down.

The flight from Istanbul landed at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport with fire and smoke on the right landing gear. Emergency crew responded and controlled the fire and passengers were safely evacuated, according to airport officials.

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The airport was shut down on Monday morning.

All 277 passengers and 11 crew on the Airbus A330 arriving from Istanbul were evacuated using the emergency exits following the fire, and nobody was injured, Gyanendra Bhul, a Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson, told Reuters.

"The fire broke out in the right rear tyre of the aircraft...the fire was doused and the plane was towed to the taxiway...it is grounded," Bhul said.

Several planes bound for Kathmandu were put on hold while officials were investigating and attempting to clear the only runway available at the airport.

Nepal experiences relatively frequent plane crashes as its mountainous terrain and variable weather make flying conditions difficult.

In 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway shutting down the airport for several days.

No injuries were reported, and the plane was later towed out of the airport and converted into a museum.

Turkish Airlines Fire Emergency Evacuation
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