Egyptian plane with 194 onboard catches fire at Dammam airport

DAMMAM: An Egyptian plane, carrying 194 persons, experienced a wheel system fire while taking off from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, local media reported.

A media outlet of the kingdom quoted the National Transport Safety Center while confirming the fire incident on the Egyptian plane belonging to Nile Air.

According to King Fahd International Airport, emergency personnel arrived on the scene right away, put out the fire, and safely evacuated the 186 passengers and 8 crew members. No casualties were reported.

The airplane, an Airbus A320, was taking off for Cairo Airport. The Nile Air Airbus A320 experienced a fire in its wheel system during takeoff from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to a report received by the Center early on Thursday morning.

When firefighting teams managed to contain and put out the fire, the flight crew decided to abort the departure and evacuate the passengers using emergency slides.

King Fahd International Airport revealed that on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 2:15 AM, a wheel system fire occurred on the Nile Air aircraft during takeoff.

The 186 passengers and 8 crew members were evacuated, emergency personnel responded to the fire quickly, and no casualties were reported, according to the airport management. Additionally, they said that the investigative team was looking into the incident’s specifics and reasons and that takeoff and landing operations at the airport continued uninterrupted.