Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Kolkata after engine fire soon after takeoff from Kathmandu
Aircraft was carrying 225 passengers, while 11 crew members were also on board, taking the total number of people on the flight to 236
PTC Web Desk: A Turkish Airlines passenger aircraft en route from Kathmandu to Istanbul was forced to make an emergency landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport on Wednesday after a fire was reported in one of its engines shortly after takeoff.
According to officials at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu, the wide-body Airbus A330-303 aircraft operating flight number THY-727 experienced a fire in its right engine within minutes of departure. The aircraft took off at 1:28 pm local time and encountered the problem around four minutes later.
Teknath Sitaula, general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, said the pilots immediately diverted the aircraft west of Kathmandu and shut down the affected engine. The plane was held in the air for nearly 10 minutes as the crew followed emergency procedures.
The aircraft was carrying 225 passengers, while 11 crew members were also on board, taking the total number of people on the flight to 236. Following the incident, Tribhuvan International Airport briefly suspended operations for around 15 minutes as a precautionary measure.
Subsequently, the aircraft diverted to Kolkata, where it made a full emergency landing at NSCBI Airport at 2.49 pm IST. Airport director at NSCBI confirmed that the flight’s captain had alerted air traffic control about a possible engine fire prior to landing.
The aircraft is currently grounded at Kolkata airport, where technical teams are conducting a detailed inspection. All passengers and crew are reported to be safe, and further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.