Turkish Airlines Flight Passengers Evacuated at Kathmandu Airport Following Landing Gear Smoke

11/05/2026

KATMANDU, May 11: Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Kathmandu were evacuated on Monday after smoke was detected in the aircraft’s landing gear while taxiing at Nepal’s main international airport.

The airline said the Airbus A330, operating flight TK726, landed normally at Tribhuvan International Airport before smoke was observed coming from the landing gear during taxiing operations.

Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Ustun said the evacuation was carried out as a precaution following instructions from airport tower authorities.

“After our Airbus A330 aircraft operating the Istanbul-Kathmandu TK726 flight landed normally on the runway, smoke was observed in the landing gear while taxiing,” Ustun said in a statement posted on X.

He added that emergency slides were deployed and all passengers were evacuated safely.

“The evacuation process was completed successfully and no injuries were reported,” he said.

According to the airline, technical teams have begun inspecting the aircraft. Initial findings indicate the smoke may have been caused by a malfunction in a hydraulic pipe.

Turkish Airlines also said an additional flight had been arranged for the aircraft’s return journey.