Saudi airliner’s landing gear catches fire during touchdown at Peshawar airport
A Saudi Airlines flight from Riyadh caught fire upon landing at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport on Thursday, prompting a swift evacuation of all passengers and crew members to safety, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement.
According to CAA spokesperson Saifullah, air traffic controllers witnessed smoke and sparks emanating from the left-hand side landing gear of the aircraft as it landed and alerted the pilots. At the same time, they informed the airport fire and rescue services.
Reaching the scene, CAA fire vehicles were able to extinguish the flames engulfing the landing gear, the statement read.
“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 safely evacuated with an inflatable slide.”
Video footage from the scene, obtained by Dawn.com, showed passengers disembarking the aircraft using the emergency slide.
According to Peshawar airport officials, the airport is operational and all flights will continue as per their schedules.