A Turkish Airlines aircraft at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Image used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: AP
A Turkish Airlines jet caught fire while landing at Nepal’s main airport on Monday (May 11, 2026), causing no reported injuries but forcing the airport to shut down.
The flight from Istanbul landed at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport with fire and smoke on the right landing gear. Emergency crew responded and controlled the fire and passengers were safely evacuated, according to airport officials.
The airport was shut down on Monday (May 11, 2026) morning. There were 277 passengers on board the Airbus 330 jet.
Several planes bound for Kathmandu were put on hold while officials were investigating and attempting to clear the only runway available at the airport.
Nepal experiences relatively frequent plane crashes as its mountainous terrain and variable weather make flying conditions difficult.
In 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway shutting down the airport for several days.
No injuries were reported, and the plane was later towed out of the airport and converted into a museum.
Published – May 11, 2026 09:16 am IST
