Russian Plane With 95 Onboard Catches Fire in Turkey

An airplane with 95 people onboard was safely evacuated in Turkey after catching fire.

The engine of a Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100, operated by Azimuth Airlines, caught fire after landing at Antalya Airport in southern Turkey on Sunday night, according to several reports.

The incident, which left no one injured, prompted an immediate evacuation of all 95 passengers and crew aboard the flight originating from the Russian resort city of Sochi.

Newsweek has contacted the Turkish transport ministry and Azimuth Airlines for comment via email.

The fire reportedly broke out after the plane made an emergency landing at 9:34 p.m. local time. The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure reported that the blaze was swiftly extinguished by firefighting teams.

All of the passengers and crew were safely evacuated, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the incident temporarily suspended operations at the airport until early Monday morning​​.

Video footage shared online depicted flames and smoke emanating from the aircraft’s left-side engine while passengers exited using emergency slides. Some evacuees were seen hurrying away while carrying personal belongings.

Airport authorities rerouted arrivals and used a military-managed runway for departures while the damaged plane was removed from the main runway.

“There was panic in the cabin; people started jumping up, trying to get their bags, putting them in the aisle,” said one passenger, as reported by The Daily Express. “And then a sharp flash in all the windows showed that the fire had burst into flames. Smoke poured strongly into the cabin.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s Federal Aviation Authority, Rosaviatsiya, plans to launch an investigation into the cause of the fire, Reuters reported. The outlet also said the Sukhoi Superjet involved was seven years old, citing flight-tracking service FlightRadar24​​​.

Separately, in June, a Virgin Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Queenstown, New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia, was diverted to Invercargill Airport to make an emergency landing after fire was seen coming from the aircraft as it flew over Queenstown.

Some people reported seeing flames emanating from one of the engines, though Virgin Airlines later suggested the fire had been caused by a “possible bird strike.”

Virgin Australia told Newsweek at the time there were 67 guests and six crew on board, and the plane landed safely at Invercargill.

It came after a series of incidents involving Boeing Planes, including emergency landings in January and March.

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