Kathmandu–Istanbul Turkish airlines flight makes emergency landing in Kolkata after mid-air engine fire

A Turkish Airlines aircraft flying from Kathmandu to Istanbul was forced to divert and make an emergency landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday (February 4) afternoon. The flight, operating as THY-727, touched down in Kolkata at approximately 2:49 pm after the crew alerted air traffic control about a suspected fire in the aircraft’s right engine. There were 236 passengers onboard at the time of the incident.

Airport officials confirmed that the plane remains grounded in Kolkata, where technical teams are carrying out detailed safety inspections. The situation began shortly after the aircraft departed from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, when emergency protocols were activated after an engine fire moments after takeoff. According to airport authorities, the issue occurred within four minutes of departure. “The Turkish Airlines with flight number 'THY-727' caught fire within four minutes of takeoff, and the right engine caught fire. The flight took off at 1:28 PM (Local Time),” Teknath Sitaula, General Manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, was quoted as saying to news agency ANI.

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“The pilot informed the Kathmandu tower and continued flying on a single engine, holding the aircraft for some time over the Dharke area of Dhading district, to assess the situation,” Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), was quoted as saying to The Kathmandu Post.

Following the incident, the pilots shut down the affected engine and redirected the aircraft west of Kathmandu. The plane continued flying on one engine and remained airborne for around ten minutes while the crew evaluated the situation over Nepal’s Dhading district. After assessing the risks, the flight crew determined that continuing the long-haul journey was unsafe. Despite having the option to return to Kathmandu or land at Bhairahawa, the pilots opted to divert to Kolkata as a precautionary measure.