A Saudi Airlines plane with 297 people onboard caught fire while landing at Peshawar airport in Pakistan on Thursday. The incident took place due to some technical glitch in the landing gear of the Riyadh to Peshawar flight, according to reports.
The Peshawar-bound plane caught fire upon landing at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. CAA spokesperson Saifullah said that smoke and sparks were detected at the left-hand side landing gear of the aircraft as it landed. Air traffic controllers, subsequently, alerted the pilots and informed the the airport fire and rescue services.
“The fire tenders acted in time and immediately controlled the fire in the landing gear, saving the aircraft from a major accident,” Saifullah said. All 276 passengers and 21 crew members were evacuated safely, the CAA spokesperson added.
The airline said in a statement that the flight, flying from Riyadh to Peshawar, experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan.
“Saudia clarifies that its aircraft, flying from Riyadh to Peshawar on flight SV792, experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan. The aircraft was immediately stopped and the relevant authorities were notified,” the airline said.
It further said that all passengers and crew were safely evacuated through the evacuation slide. The aircraft is now undergoing technical evaluation by specialists, the airline said.
