A Turkish Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport when one of its engines caught fire. All 290 passengers onboard escaped unharmed. The incident occurred around 7:00 am on Tuesday (May 20).
Flight TK713, an Airbus A330-303 operated by Turkish Airlines, departed from Dhaka en route to Istanbul with 290 passengers on board. Approximately 15 minutes after takeoff, the pilot observed sparks coming from one of the aircraft's two engines. In response, he made the quick decision to return to the airport.
The plane circled in the sky to burn off fuel before safely landing at around 8:15 am. Following the emergency landing, airport engineering personnel inspected the aircraft and discovered a dead bird inside the affected engine.
Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, confirmed to the media that the aircraft struck a bird during takeoff, which likely triggered the engine sparks. He emphasized that there were no injuries and all passengers were safe.
Notably, a similar aviation scare occurred just days earlier, on May 16, when a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight lost a wheel (the left-side landing gear) shortly after takeoff from Cox's Bazar International Airport. That flight, carrying 71 passengers including children, also landed safely thanks to the pilot's skill.