Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Kolkata after engine fire post take-off in Kathmandu

New Delhi, Feb 4: A Turkish Airlines flight en route from Kathmandu to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday after a fire was reported in its right engine shortly after take-off, the Times of India reported. The Airbus A330-303 aircraft, operating as flight THY-727, had 236 people on board, including 11 crew members. According to Tribhuvan International Airport’s general manager Teknath Sitaula, the right engine caught fire within four minutes of departure from Kathmandu at 1.28 pm local time.

“The Turkish Airlines flight with number THY-727 caught fire within four minutes of take-off.

The right engine caught fire,” Sitaula told ANI. The pilot alerted Kolkata air traffic control about a possible engine fire and diverted the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Kolkata at 2.49 pm, with all passengers and crew unharmed. The director of Kolkata airport said a full emergency was declared as a precaution for the incoming flight. Officials added that the pilots diverted the aircraft west of Kathmandu, shut down the affected engine, and kept the plane airborne for about 10 minutes before proceeding towards Kolkata. Following the incident, operations at Tribhuvan International Airport were suspended for around 15 minutes. The aircraft remains grounded in Kolkata, and an investigation into the incident is currently underway.