A Turkish Airlines flight bound for Istanbul from Katunayake was safely diverted back to Bandaranaike International Airport after developing a technical fault in its landing gear system, airport authorities said.
The aircraft, operating as flight TK733, departed Katunayake at around 10.00 p.m. on Tuesday with 202 passengers and 10 crew members on board. Shortly after take-off, the pilot detected that the landing gear had not retracted properly.
Following the detection of the fault, a decision was taken to return the aircraft to Katunayake. At the time, the plane was flying at an altitude of about 4,000 feet over the Chilaw area.
In order to burn excess fuel prior to landing, the aircraft circled the airspace over Chilaw for more than two hours. The aircraft, an Airbus A330 manufactured in France, is one of the largest passenger aircraft in service.
Airport officials confirmed that the pilot successfully landed the aircraft safely at Katunayake at around 12.17 a.m. on Wednesday (17 December).
As a precautionary measure, ambulances, fire engines, medical teams and rescue personnel were deployed within the airport premises, while additional rescue teams and special boats were positioned in the Negombo lagoon.
All passengers were safely disembarked and transferred to nearby hotels. Arrangements have been made to send the aircraft for necessary technical inspections and repairs, airport authorities said.
