A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 caught fire while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday. Airport officials said smoke and flames were seen around the aircraft’s right landing gear as it touched down on the sole runway.
Emergency crews responded quickly, extinguishing the blaze and ensuring all 277 passengers were evacuated safely; no injuries were reported. The incident forced the airport to close temporarily while teams inspected the aircraft and cleared the runway. Several inbound flights were put on hold during the disruption.
Nepal’s mountainous terrain and rapidly changing weather are known to complicate aviation operations, contributing to a higher frequency of serious incidents in the country. The report recalled a 2015 accident in which a Turkish Airlines plane skidded off a wet runway in dense fog at Kathmandu; that aircraft suffered no fatalities, was later removed from the airport and ultimately turned into a museum exhibit.
Airport authorities and investigators are examining the cause of the landing-gear fire. Turkish Airlines and Nepalese aviation officials are expected to release further details once inspections and safety checks are complete.
