ISTANBUL: A Turkish Airlines plane returning from Milan made an emergency landing in Istanbul on Saturday after one of its engines caught fire, media and officials said.

Footage on NTV television showed smoke and flames coming from plane’s right engine as firefighters rushed to meet the Airbus 320 as it touched down.

It was the latest in a string of such incidents in recent weeks that have forced Turkey’s national flag-carrier to make emergency landings or divert flights.

“All 97 passengers have been taken to the terminal with no health issues.

The reason for the incident will become clear after the investigation,” Turkish Airlines spokesman Ali Genc wrote on Twitter.

It was not clear whether the plane had caught fire as it landed or mid-air.

The NTV broadcast conversations between the control tower and the plane revealing that the pilot remained calm throughout the emergency.

Ataturk International Airport, the country’s main hub, was temporarily closed due to the incident and planes were diverted to Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the Asian side of the city.

Dogan news agency said the same plane’s cockpit window had shattered on Thursday during a flight from the German city of Frankfurt to Istanbul and the plane was given permission to fly out after the window was changed.

Earlier this month a Turkish Airlines passenger jet flying from the German city of Duesseldorf to Istanbul was forced to make an emergency landing in Nuremberg after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2015

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