Jet Airways plane catches fire after bird-hit in Kathmandu

A Jet Airways aircraft from Mumbai with 125 passengers and six crew members on board made an emergency landing at Kathmandu airport following a bird hit that caused a minor fire in one of its engines.

The plane, however, made a safe landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport, the Jet Airways said.

There was a minor fire in one of the engines of the Boeing 737 when it was about land at the Kathmandu airport, officials said.

The aircraft with flight number 9W268 was hit by a bird near Imadole area of Lalitpur minutes before landing, Kathmandu airport's manager Birendra Shrestha said.
"The bird entered the left engine causing fire," he said.

However, the fire was immediately brought under control on landing and all passengers were evacuated safely, officials said.

According to Shrestha, an engineering team from Jet Airways were inspecting the plane's condition.

"Once they certify it is safe, we will allow it to fly back," he told reporters.
"Jet Airways flight 9W 268 Mumbai to Kathmandu B737 experienced a bird ingestion on approach and continued the flight with an uneventful and safe landing at Kathmandu," the airline said in a statement.