A flydubai scheduled flight out of Kathmandu experienced an engine fire after takeoff after a bird strike was encountered during the departure procedure.
flydubai flight FZ576 was operating from Kathmandu Airport (KTM) to Dubai International (DXB) on Monday 24 April when it experienced a bird strike during its departure from Kathmandu.
This flight was scheduled to depart at 7:55pm but after delay of almost 1:30hrs the flight finally took-off at 09:19pm. Soon after this, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft suffered an engine fire and subsequently attempted and emergency landing at Tribhuvan International Airport.
According to reports the fire services were kept on standby while the aircraft prepared for its approach and other traffic around the airport was kept on hold.
However, the aircraft did not land at the airport and subsequently continued its journey towards Dubai.
Soon after video footage of the aircraft engine emitting flames went viral, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority released a statement saying that flydubai flight FZ576 Kathmandu to Dubai flight was now operating normally and proceeding to the destination of Dubai as per the flight plan.
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The government’s Dubai Media Office tweeted a statement from Fly Dubai saying: “A FlyDubai spokesperson: FlyDubai flight FZ576 from Kathmandu Airport (KTM) to Dubai International (DXB) experienced a bird strike during takeoff from Kathmandu.”
“After following the standard procedure, the flight will continue as normal to Dubai and is scheduled to land in DB at 00:14 local time.”
The aircraft involved in this incident is a Boeing 737-800, which was delivered to flydubai in December, 2021 and has been with the airline ever since.
The aircraft is registered as A6-FED and is 10.4 years old at the time of this incident.
