Qatar Airways aircraft forced to make emergency landing after engine catches fire

Free-flowing drinks and majestic views of the American Rockies: Is this the most spectacular train ride in the world?
Want to find out how good a hotel can be? Inside the hyper-luxurious Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, which has a staggering SIX Michelin stars between three restaurants (and an interior that resembles a palace)
Idyllic beach breaks: Discover the best of the Mediterranean with this month's top hotel picks… from an Algarve beauty to a Turkish hideaway
Budget safari... priceless encounters: An exhilarating night in Uganda in a two-man TENT, with a toilet full of baboons and a nerve-shredding big-cat visitor to the campsite
Miami is hotter than ever! Here's what to do in America's most exciting city including where to watch Lionel Messi have a kickabout
Palma for under £100 a night! Mallorca's charming capital offers glorious architecture and a vibrant food scene
Fly in a 'palace in the sky' - for 'economy cabin' money: The Four Seasons private jet is now available for charter - and it's yours for just £1,900 (if you share the cost)
America's tallest skyscraper Legends Tower WILL be built in Oklahoma City as construction gets green light to start within just two months - after shock last minute design change
With miles of Napoleonic-era canals to explore, boating through Brittany is just magnifique!
Pictured: The remarkable floating 'capsule resort' in Thailand that you can only reach by boat
Italian city brings in bizarre BAN on eating pizza and ice cream
Ten jet lag busters! Airline crew's tips to make long-haul travel a breeze - and a warning about sleeping pills
The 30 world's best budget hotels for under £100: From Art Deco buzz in north London to blissful balconies in Bali (and a very surprising venue in Berlin)
The best places to stay... in the WORLD: Four UK B&Bs make the global top 10 in 2024 Tripadvisor awards, the No.1 hotel overall is in Brazil and Santa Monica property is declared top in America
RICHARD EDEN: Our beach break in Egypt was cheap compared to the Med with apartments under £100 per night and family meals costing just £30
Moment out-of-control 700ft cruise ship desperately tries to slow down before crunching into dock at Turkish port
Wish you were hair? The best places to book a holiday if you don't want your locks to go frizzy - thanks to soft water, low humidity levels and gentle winds
Moment two bears grapple with each other in remarkable scrap captured on camera in national park
Florida woman who lives on a 39FT catamaran with her husband and their DOG reveals the wildest things about life on the high seas - from how they shower to where their pup POOPS
Experience the bustling cities of Thailand, spot lions in the wild in South Africa and experience pure escapism in Mauritius: These are the trips trending right now that you NEED to take
For a truly GREAT escape... visit Barbados, a blissful paradise blessed with 80 beautiful beaches, heavenly hotels and mouthwatering restaurants
Is WETHERSPOONS the answer to the Great British staycation problem? Costs of holidaying at home are spiralling… our favourite budget boozer could come to the rescue this summer
Put away your phone - and unleash your inner hobbit! The top 10 most wish-listed Airbnb 'Earth homes' around the UK, from cosy caves to a Viking longhouse and a secret retreat with on-site ducks and fairy pools
A bracing brush with Naples: On the eve of a rare UK Caravaggio show, follow in the artist's footsteps on a tour of his stunning spiritual home

Aircraft forced to land at Ataturk Airport with one of its engines on fire
The Airbus A330, flight QR240 had been headed for Doha, Qatar
Airline confirmed the incident was caused by a bird strike
No reports of any casualties and passengers disembarked safely

Published: 07:38 EDT, 18 August 2016 | Updated: 12:31 EDT, 18 August 2016

e-mail

166

View
comments

A Qatar Airways passenger jet with over 300 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing at Istanbul's main airport today (Thursday) after an engine caught fire, the airline said, blaming a 'bird strike' for the blaze.

The Airbus A330 had been headed for Doha, Qatar but had to turn back to Ataturk International airport less than 30 minutes into its journey.

Shocking videos have captured flames shooting out of the passenger jet's engine as it returns to the Istanbul hub.

Raging flames were captured spilling out of the passenger jet's left engine

The Airbus A330 had to turn back to Ataturk airport less than 30 minutes into its journey

A passerby captured the plane on fire on their mobile phone

The plane was carrying 298 passengers and 14 crew and all were evacuated safely, according to the airline.

However, local Turkish news agencies reported one woman on board was hospitalised after suffering a fainting spell.

The airline blamed the fire on Flight QR240 on what it described as a 'bird strike' .

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways told MailOnline: 'Qatar Airways can confirm that QR240 from Istanbul to Doha experienced a bird strike, which resulted in its safe return to Istanbul.

'All 298 passengers and 14 crew disembarked normally and the airline is sending a replacement aircraft to Istanbul.

'Customer needs, including onward travel, will be taken care of by the airline. The safety of our passengers is our most important responsibility. The pilot followed all safety procedures.'

Turkish media said the airline would send a replacement aircraft to Istanbul to ferry waiting passengers onward to its hub in the new Hamad International Airport in Doha.

A Qatar Airways aircraft is seen after making an emergency landing at Ataturk International Airport after a 'bird strike' caused a blaze

The smoke seen at the aircraft's wheels is due to its landing

Turkish media said the airline would send a replacement aircraft to Istanbul to ferry waiting passengers onward to its hub in the new Hamad International Airport in Doha

Typically, such strikes can see birds sucked into a passenger plane's jet engine, sparking a fire and shorting it out.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the emergency landing was ordered after flames came out of the plane's left-side engine.

Mehmet Kirazoglu, who first reported the plane landing on Twitter said: '‏I was in Turkish Airlines Technology building nearby the IST airport we heard a strange engine sound over us.

'When [we looked] up we saw a Qatar Airways plane whose left engine was flaming out.

'It turned round towards sea, I suppose it drained its fuel [in the] Marmara Sea. Thank god, we have learnt that it landed safely.'

Airport workers in high-vis jackets peering into the Airbus A330's left engine

According to Turkish news site, AirportHaber there was 'damage to the blades'

At noon after the aircraft had landed at Ataturk International airport, airport staff inspected the plane's engines.

According to Turkish news site, AirportHaber there was 'damage to the blades'.

The site has shared pictures of airport workers in high-vis jackets peering into the Airbus A330's left engine.

HOW DANGEROUS IS A BIRD STRIKE?

'Strikes are occasionally dangerous,' author and pilot Patrick Smith wrote in Cockpit Confidential.

'This is especially true when engines are involved, as we saw in 2009 when US Airways flight 1549 glided into the Hudson River after colliding with a flock of Canada geese.'

In this incident Captain Sullenberger courageously landed an A320 in the Hudson River after the plane lost thrust in both engines following the bird strike, which occurred moments after take-off.

'Modern turbofans are resilient, but they don't take kindly to the ingestion of foreign objects, particularly those slamming into their rotating blades at high speeds,' said Smith.

'Birds don't clog an engine but can bend or fracture the internal blades, causing power loss.'

The passenger jet had been heading to Doha, Qatar from Istanbul when it was forced to turn back on itself

A Qatar Airways aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Istanbul's Ataturk (stock image)

Passengers on board the Airbus A330 have disembarked as normal back at Ataturk Airport

Qatar Airways has issued a statement on their twitter account to confirm that the plane has landed safely

Qatar Airways is one of the Mideast's three biggest carriers, alongside the region's biggest carrier, the Dubai-based Emirates Airline, and the Abu-Dhabi based Etihad Airways.

The three have increasingly challenged Western airlines in long-haul flights.

Qatar Airways flies out of its hub in the vast new Hamad International Airport in Doha, which is preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The carrier has a fleet of 190 aircraft flying to over 150 destinations.

Qatar Turkey Breaking News