A Turkish Airlines (TK) operating flight TK726 from Istanbul Airport (IST) experienced a tyre fire on its right main landing gear immediately after touching down at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), Kathmandu, on the morning of Monday, May 11, 2026.
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) confirmed that all 288 persons aboard — comprising 277 passengers and 11 crew members — were evacuated safely via emergency slides, with only two passengers sustaining minor finger injuries. The aircraft, now grounded pending a technical inspection, triggered the closure of KTM’s sole runway for 98 uninterrupted minutes, disrupting both domestic and international flight schedules across the country.
The incident unfolded at approximately 6:34 a.m. local time when flames were observed erupting from the right rear tyre of the wide-body aircraft during its landing roll. Airport firefighting teams responded swiftly, dousing the blaze before the aircraft was towed to Taxiway Bravo, where it came to rest in an awkward configuration — approximately 30 percent of the fuselage straddling the taxiway while the remaining 70 percent occupied the active runway, compelling authorities to suspend all arrivals and departures until 8:12 a.m. Among the evacuated passengers were several United Nations officials, according to airport security spokesperson SP Rajkumar Silawal, who confirmed the incident to ANI.
Turkish Airlines Confirms Smoke in Landing Gear During Taxiing, Initiates Technical Inspection
Turkish Airlines, the Turkish flag carrier headquartered at Istanbul Airport, acknowledged the incident in a statement released Monday, noting that smoke had been observed in the landing gear assembly while the aircraft was taxiing after touchdown.
The airline confirmed that technical inspections had been initiated immediately following the evacuation. No further elaboration on the probable mechanical cause was offered in the carrier’s initial communication.
Gyanendra Bhul, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, told Reuters that the fire broke out specifically in the right rear tyre of the aircraft and that the blaze was extinguished before the plane was moved to the taxiway:
“The fire broke out in the right rear tyre of the aircraft … The fire was doused and the plane was towed to the taxiway … It is grounded..”
Authorities are now investigating whether a hard landing, irregular tyre pressure, or a braking system anomaly precipitated the ignition, though CAAN has declined to confirm any causal hypothesis pending the conclusion of its formal inquiry.
SP Rajkumar Silawal, Superintendent of Police at TIA’s security office, told ANI:
“The aircraft with call sign TK726 was en route to Kathmandu from Istanbul, and the tyre had caught fire while landing. Using the fire engine, it has been contained. All the passengers are safely evacuated.”
Silawal added that the airline has grounded the aircraft and that hotel arrangements are being made for passengers who were scheduled to depart from Kathmandu on the same aircraft.
Emergency Evacuation Via Slides Executed as Airport Closes For 98 Minutes
The emergency evacuation of flight TK726 was conducted through the aircraft’s emergency exit slides, the standard procedure for an unplanned ground evacuation where jet bridges are unavailable or unsuitable.
According to the Kathmandu Post, Bhul confirmed that passengers exited via evacuation slides and that the airline subsequently reported two passengers had sustained minor injuries to their fingers in the course of the evacuation — an outcome that underscores the inherent physical demands of emergency slide egress, particularly for elderly or mobility-impaired travellers.
The stranded aircraft’s positioning on Taxiway Bravo proved critically disruptive to airport operations. With roughly 30 percent of the fuselage on the taxiway and 70 percent blocking the runway, KTM’s single active runway became operationally inoperable.
Several inbound flights were placed in holding patterns, and departing aircraft remained at their gates throughout the 98-minute suspension. The airport resumed full flight operations at 8:12 a.m., according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Passengers stranded in Kathmandu due to the grounding of the aircraft are being accommodated in local hotels, while CAAN and Turkish Airlines coordinate alternative travel arrangements for those with onward connections.
The airline operates five weekly flights between Istanbul and Kathmandu, making TK726 a critical artery for travellers connecting Nepal with Europe and the wider Turkish Airlines global network.
This Is Not the First Time TK726 Has Met with Trouble at Kathmandu
Monday’s incident is strikingly not the first time that the TK726 routing has been associated with a serious aviation occurrence at Tribhuvan International Airport. In March 2015, the same flight number — TK726, also operated by an Airbus A330 — overran the runway at KTM while landing in dense fog and low visibility, veering off onto the grassy verge adjacent to the tarmac. As Business Standard reported at the time, the flight was carrying 227 passengers and 11 crew members, all of whom were safely evacuated through emergency doors, though the aircraft sustained nose and front-wheel damage.
The 2015 runway excursion prompted a temporary closure of KTM and raised questions about the airport’s instrument landing capabilities in adverse meteorological conditions. That incident is also referenced by AirlinersOffices in its safety analysis of Turkish Airlines, noting that even in the 2015 Nepal episode, there were no fatalities — a testament to crew competency and aircraft structural integrity.
The recurrence of a serious incident on the same route, albeit of a different technical character, will likely invite renewed scrutiny from both CAAN and the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA).
It is also worth noting that a separate, unrelated Turkish Airlines flight — TKY727, bound for Istanbul — was struck by a bird during its take-off roll from KTM in November 2015, as reported by the Kathmandu Post. Taken together, these incidents paint a picture of a route and an airport where the margin for operational error remains concerningly thin.
