A Turkish Airlines flight travelling from Kathmandu to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI) on Wednesday after the pilot reported a fire in one of the aircraft’s engines.
The aircraft, flight THY-727, landed safely at 2.49 pm, after the pilot alerted Kolkata Air Traffic Control about a fire in the right engine, airport authorities said.
The plane, carrying 236 passengers, remains grounded at the Kolkata airport and is undergoing inspection, according to the NSCBI airport director.
Fire Reported Shortly After Take-off From Kathmandu
The incident also triggered an emergency at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, where the aircraft had taken off minutes earlier.
“The Turkish Airlines with flight number 'THY-727' caught fire within four minutes of the take off, the right engine caught fire. The flight took off at 1:28 PM (Local Time),” Teknath Sitaula, General Manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, told ANI.
Officials said the aircraft reported the emergency soon after departure.
‘Pan-Pan’ Alert Declared Mid-Air
At 1.38 pm (IST), the pilot declared ‘Pan-Pan’, an international aviation urgency signal used for time-sensitive situations that do not pose an immediate threat.
After detecting the fire, the pilot diverted the aircraft west of Kathmandu, shut down the affected engine and held the plane in the air for around 10 minutes, officials said.
The flight reported at 1.51 pm (IST) that the fire was under control and that it was proceeding towards Kolkata with one engine inoperative.
Crew Opts to Divert to Kolkata
“The pilot informed the Kathmandu tower and continued flying on a single engine, holding the aircraft for some time over the Dharke area of Dhading district, to assess the situation,” Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), told The Kathmandu Post.
After conducting further checks, the crew concluded that the aircraft was not fit for a long-haul flight. Although they had the option to return to Kathmandu or divert to Bhairahawa, the pilots chose to land in Kolkata, citing safety considerations, the report said.
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