KATHMANDU: An IndiGo Airlines aircraft coming from New Delhi caught fire while taxing on the runway after landing on Saturday. All passengers are safe.
The right rear wheel of the Airbus 320 aircraft caught fire and all the 176 passengers and six crew members were evacuated. The fire was put off by airport fire service with no damage to the fuselage, airport officials said. The IndiGo 031 flight left New Delhi at 11.03am and landed at Tribhuvan International Airport at 12.33pm. A technical team from the company is due to arrive in Kathmandu to access the situation. The budget airlines began its services to Kathmandu in October 2011.
US aviation authorities downgraded India’s air safety ranking in January to category two, saying its aviation safety supervision did not comply with international safety standards.