Egyptian plane with 194 onboard catches fire at Saudi airport
186 passengers and 8 crew members were evacuated safely using emergency slides
Dubai: The National Transport Safety Center has reported that an Egyptian plane operated by Nile Air caught fire in its wheel system during takeoff from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The incident occurred early Thursday morning.
The Airbus A320, bound for Cairo Airport, encountered a fire in its wheel system while departing at 2:15 am. The flight crew promptly aborted the takeoff as emergency firefighting teams rushed to the scene.
The fire was successfully extinguished, and all 186 passengers and 8 crew members were evacuated safely using emergency slides. No injuries have been reported.
King Fahd International Airport confirmed that the response from emergency teams ensured the safety of everyone on board. The airport management assured that despite the fire, operations for takeoffs and landings were unaffected. The investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, with specialised teams from the National Transport Safety Center leading the probe.
The airport emphasized that all emergency procedures were followed effectively, and the situation was managed with utmost efficiency.