Turkish cargo plane lands safely in Istanbul

ABU DHABI: The General Civil Aviation Authority ( GCAA) stated that the Turkish cargo aircraft that took off from Sharjah International Airport arrived safely in Istanbul.

The GCAA added that it was in contact with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey and the relevant airline company to investigate the incident and determine the reason for the malfunction and how to address it, to ensure compliance to the highest standards of safety in the UAE’S airspace and the country’s airports.

An earlier report said the Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation (SDCA) confirmed that a Turkish cargo plane registered in Turkey took off from Sharjah International Airport heading to Istanbul and landed at its destination headquarters safely without any damage, after it was hit by a slight malfunction while in the air and was repaired by the pilot.

According to the information issued by the Department, the pilot of the Turkish plane reported a slight malfunction in the engine of the plane two minutes after it took off, and three minutes later, it was reported that the malfunction has been repaired by the pilot.

The Sharjah Civil Aviation Department indicated that the plane completed its way to Turkey and landed in Istanbul safely, refuting the rumours swirling around smoke from one of the engines of its fleet at Sharjah International Airport.

The Department called on all community members not to circulate rumours and to take information from its official sources.

A recent report said the Department of Civil Aviation, Sharjah has awarded Serco Middle East, a five-year contract for the delivery of air navigation services at Sharjah Airport, effective until 28th February 2025 after it won the tender launched early this year.

The agreement will contribute to increase the percentage of Emiratisation at Sharjah Airport with targets of a 47 per cent Emirati workforce by 2025, and continually upgrade and strengthen the service level at Sharjah Airport.