Qatar Airways plane makes emergency landing at Istanbul airport

ISTANBUL - Reuters

A Qatar Airways aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport on Aug. 18 after one of its engines caught fire shortly after take-off. The Airbus 330 had been headed for Doha. 

Aviation officials told Agence France-Presse that the incident was caused by a suspected bird flying into its engine and causing the engine to catch fire.

“Qatar Airways can confirm that today’s QR240 from Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) to Doha (DOH) has returned to Istanbul and has landed safely. The passengers have disembarked as normal. The pilot followed all QR safety procedures,” the carrier said in a tweet.

The plane was carrying 298 passengers and 14 crew, according to the airline.

An eyewitness of the plane’s landing said they saw flames in its left engine. 

“The plane was in the air like that for about 15 minutes,” the eyewitness told daily Hürriyet. 

Qatar Airways is one of the biggest carriers in the Middle East.