Panic took over passengers on Wednesday afternoon on a flight from a Turkish Airlines jet when the plane was diverted to Kolkata for an emergency landing. The flight, which had departed from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to head to Istanbul, had landed safely at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport around 3:20 PM.
The Diversion and Emergency Protocol
The pilot of the Turkish Airlines aircraft contacted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Kolkata when flying over Indian airspace with a technical fault, airport authorities said. Sources said the issue had been caused by an engine parameter abnormality, though the airline has yet to produce a full technical brief. The Kolkata ATC issued a full emergency command and cleared out the runway, and fire tenders, ambulances and emergency medical teams deployed along the landing strip. The plane landed without incident, and no injuries to passengers or crew were reported.
Passenger Safety and Ground Operations
The plane was taxied to a secluded bay wherein engineers working for the ground handling team, and the technical staff of Turkish Airlines started an inspection immediately.
- Total Passengers: This number is still being confirmed, but they said the aircraft was near full capacity.
- Accommodations: Passengers took initial remaining on board while ground staff assessed the duration of repairs. Later that evening, the airline started making arrangements for hotel accommodations or an alternate flight line to bring stranded passengers to Istanbul.
A String of Aviation Incidents in Recent Months
The emergency landing adds to a list of diversions in South Asian airspace over the past few months that has prompted questions about maintenance schedules in the post-pandemic “travel boom” period. Last week a diversion also occurred in the region with an entirely different international carrier.
Statement from the Airport Authorities
NSCBI Airport spokesperson said: "The flight landed in emergency conditions because of a technical snag. Our emergency response teams immediately took appropriate action to avoid any issues during landing. The aircraft is in the hands of technical experts for a final inspection."
Turkish Airlines has put out a short statement apologising for the inconvenience and assuring that "passenger safety remains the highest priority."
