A Turkish Airlines flight from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Istanbul declared an emergency mid-air today, after reporting a fire in its right engine. The Airbus A330 aircraft was diverted to land in Kolkata. All 236 people on board are safe.
Flight THY727 declared a PAN PAN call at approximately 8:08am GMT, roughly ten minutes after taking off. A PAN PAN is an international emergency signal used when a flight faces a serious and urgent situation that is not immediately life-threatening. Following the alert, a full emergency was declared at Kolkata airport in preparation for the aircraft’s landing.
The Week reports that the engine caught fire within four minutes of takeoff. By 8:21Am GMT, the engine fire was under control. The aircraft continued its approach to Kolkata with one engine shut down. Modern twin-engine aircraft are designed to fly safely on a single engine, if required.
According to Business Standard, Flight THY727 had sufficient fuel to continue on for another eight hours.
The flight landed in Kolkata at around 9:01am GMT.
The aviation authorities will carry out a detailed inspection of the aircraft in Kolkata.
