The Turkish Airlines flight which was forced to make an emergency landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake due a technical issue with the landing gear, has departed from the BIA after the completion of repairs.

“The Turkish Air flight TK 733 Colombo- Istanbul, which was forced to return due a technical issue with the landing gear, departed from Bandaranaike International Airport at 17.41 hrs with 51 passengers after completion of technical rectification,” the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Pvt Ltd (AASL) said today. 

Last evening (16), the Turkish Airlines flight bound for Istanbul from Colombo was forced to return to the BIA after a technical malfunction occurred in the aircraft’s landing gear system, prompting the pilot to take precautionary measures.

The aircraft successfully landed at BIA early at around 12:17 a.m. today.

The flight, operated by Turkish Airlines as TK733, had 202 passengers and 10 crew members on board when it departed the BIA at 10:00 p.m. yesterday. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the landing gear had not deployed properly, prompting immediate safety measures.

The pilot maneuvered the aircraft over the Chilaw sea area, flying at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet and a speed of 140 knots, while burning off fuel to reduce weight and ensuring that only the necessary fuel to reach the BIA remained, with the rest jettisoned into the sea.

The procedure took over two hours, and the aircraft involved is an Airbus A330, one of the largest passenger aircraft manufactured in France.

Subsequently, the aircraft was safely brought back and landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport at 12:17 a.m. today, under the supervision of the pilot.

For safety, the airport had deployed fire trucks, rescue personnel, medical teams and special boats along the Negombo coastline. Passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft and transported to nearby hotels, and arrangements were made to send the aircraft for necessary maintenance work.