A Turkish Airlines flight was evacuated shortly after landing after one of the aircraft’s tyres caught fire. The incident occurred in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, on May 11, 2026.
Spontaneous Combustion
After landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu, a minor fire broke out aboard a Turkish Airlines flight. The Airbus A330 was arriving in Nepal’s capital from Istanbul on Monday, May 11. It was reported that smoke was observed emerging from the landing gear of the aircraft post landing, as it was about to begin taxiing from the runway, and Turkish Airlines asserted that technical inspections were quickly commenced. The incident caused the closure of the airport for an hour.
According to a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Nepal, the tyre positioned on the rear right of the aircraft’s landing gear caught fire. The spokesperson, Gyanendra Bhul, asserted that the tyre fire was promptly doused and the aircraft was towed to the taxiway. The 277 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the flight were evacuated via the emergency exits according to appropriate safety protocols. Nobody was injured during the ordeal.
Potential Technical Malfunction
While investigations are still ongoing as to the cause of the minor combustion incident, Yahya Üstün, the airline’s Senior Vice President of Communications, announced via social media platform X that the tyre fire appears to have been caused by a technical fault with the hydraulic pipe. His statement follows the result of initial inspections of the aircraft after the incident.
Do you think the incident was handled well? Let us know in the comments.
