Turkish Airlines plane evacuated due to tyre fire after landing in Kathmandu

Reuters - A tyre of a ​Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS), opens new tab plane caught fire after ‌it landed on Monday in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, authorities said, forcing the closure of the ​airport for an hour.

All 277 passengers ​and 11 crew on the Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab A330 ⁠arriving from Istanbul were evacuated using the ​emergency exits following the fire, and nobody ​was injured, Gyanendra Bhul, a Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson, told Reuters.

"The fire broke out in ​the right rear tyre of the aircraft ... ​The fire was doused and the plane was towed ‌to ⁠the taxiway ... It is grounded," Bhul said.

Turkish Airlines said smoke was observed in the landing gear while taxiing, and technical inspections ​had been ​initiated.

"Initial assessments ⁠indicate that the smoke was caused by a technical malfunction in ​a hydraulic pipe," Yahya Ustun, the ​airline's ⁠senior vice president, communications, said on social media platform X.
An additional flight has been ⁠planned ​for the return of the ​passengers, he added.