Saudi Arabian Airlines plane.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Nearly 300 people onboard a Saudi Airlines flight from Riyadh to the Pakistani city of Peshawar had a lucky escape when the landing gear of the aircraft caught fire while landing at the Peshawar airport on July 11, airport officials said.

The plane caught fire upon landing at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

According to CAA spokesperson Saifullah, air traffic controllers witnessed smoke and sparks emanating from the left-hand side landing gear of the aircraft as it landed and alerted the pilots.

At the same time, they informed the airport fire and rescue services.

Reaching the scene, CAA fire vehicles were able to extinguish the flames engulfing the landing gear, the statement read.

“The fire tenders acted in time and immediately controlled the fire in the landing gear, saving the aircraft from a major accident,” Saifullah said.

“All 276 passengers and 21 crew members were safely evacuated with an inflatable slide.”

According to Peshawar airport officials, the airport is operational, and all flights will continue as per their schedules.

According to sources, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has taken notice of the incident and a team will begin investigation into the incident soon, Geo News reported.