Russian jet catches fire in Türkiye (VIDEOS)

The incident temporarily closed a runway at Antalya Airport

A Sukhoi Superjet 100 caught fire while landing at Antalya Airport in Türkiye on Sunday, according to Russian and Turkish news reports. The fire, which started in one of the jet’s engines, was swiftly extinguished by emergency workers. 

The plane, operated by Russian carrier Azimuth, landed in Antalya after a two-hour flight from the city of Sochi on Sunday evening. After touching down in adverse weather conditions, one of the plane’s two engines caught fire, spewing smoke and flame as the narrowbody jetliner came to a stop.

Firefighters quickly surrounded the plane and put out the blaze, and all 87 passengers and four crew members were evacuated, Turkish media reported, adding that runway 36R was temporarily closed and incoming flights diverted following the incident.

Officials at the airport said that there were no deaths or injuries.

Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, is investigating the cause of the fire, RIA Novosti reported.

Designed in Russia in the early 2000s, the Superjet 100 made its first commercial flight in 2011, and more than 200 of the aircraft are now used by five Russian airlines, including the country’s flag-carrier, Aeroflot.

The jet has been involved in five serious accidents, including a crash-landing after a lightning strike at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in 2019. Forty-one out of 78 passengers died in the crash and subsequent fire. The pilot responsible for the botched emergency landing was later found guilty of violating flight safety rules and sentenced to six years in prison.

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