Turkish Airlines plane tyre catches fire while landing at Kathmandu airport; all passengers safe
There were a total of 278 passengers and 11 crew members on the flight, including some United Nations officials.
Nepal's Kathmandu airport witnessed tense moments on Monday after the tyre of an arriving Turkish Airlines flight erupted in flames during landing. Authorities swiftly secured the aircraft and evacuated all passengers. No casualties were reported among the passengers.
A Turkish Airlines flight (TK726), arriving from Istanbul, experienced an emergency when its landing gear wheel caught fire upon touchdown at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
According to an ANI report, citing the police, the fire was doused immediately, and all passengers have been evacuated.
“The Turkish Airlines TK 726 was en route to Kathmandu from Istanbul and the tyre had caught fire while landing,” SP Rajkumar Silawal from the Airport security told ANI. “Using the fire engine, it has been contained. All the passengers are safely evacuated.”
ANI, citing officials, reported that there were a total of 278 passengers and 11 crew members on the flight. Some United Nations officials were also aboard the Turkish Airlines flight.
In a video circulating on social media, fire was seen on the right landing gear of the aircraft, sending a thick plume of grey smoke. Passengers on board the aircraft were evacuated using the emergency doors.
Neither the airport nor the airline company has issued any statement or announcements regarding the incident yet. The reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained.
Turkish Airlines has been involved in similar incidents at Tribhuvan International Airport.
In the year 2015, an aircraft of the company had skidded off the runway and veered onto the grassy shoulder after losing balance during landing. This had forced the airport to remain shut for four days.
Initial reports at the time suggested that a loss of situation awareness of the flight captain during the final approach resulted in the Airbus A330 missing the runway's centre line.
The flight with the same call-sign TK726 from Istanbul was carrying 224 people when it ploughed into the grassland on the left side of the runway at Kathmandu's fog-covered airport. No passengers were hurt during the incident, but all the passengers were evacuated through the emergency doors.
(With ANI inputs)
About the Author
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.
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