Cologne-Antalya flight grounded due to tire blowout in S. Türkiye
A B738 type aircraft belonging to Corendon Airlines arriving in Antalya from Germany suffered a tire burst on Thursday after landing on a runway in the southern Turkish city, the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry reported. All 190 people on board were safely evacuated.
According to the statement issued by the ministry, the incident occurred around 11 a.m. local time.
“The evacuation of the 190 people on board, consisting of 184 passengers and six crew members, has been completed. There were no injuries reported among the passengers, and initial assessments indicate no damage on the runway. The runway is being inspected, and the expected flights will be diverted to Antalya,” the statement also said.
The statement further noted that after the technical team’s inspection, the process of removing the aircraft from the runway will be carried out.
A cargo plane had to make an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday due to a malfunctioning front landing gear. Despite the issue, the Boeing 767 operated by FedEx Express managed to stay on the runway and land safely, using its back landing gear and lowering its nose with the assistance of the traffic control tower. The pilots quickly alerted the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport after realizing the front landing gear had failed to deploy. With guidance from the tower, the plane executed a controlled landing, ensuring the safety of passengers and crew.
The incident occurred as the plane was on the final leg of its flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul. Pilots took swift action upon noticing the landing gear problem, ensuring that the emergency landing was conducted smoothly. The Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry confirmed that airport rescue and firefighting teams were on standby and made necessary preparations before the landing. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the landing gear failure to prevent such incidents in the future.
Despite the tense situation, the professionalism of the pilots and coordination with air traffic control played a crucial role in ensuring a safe outcome. Passengers and crew onboard the FedEx Express flight were unharmed, thanks to the effective response and preparedness of airport personnel.