A Qatar Airways Airbus A330 had to make an emergency landing in Istanbul after one of its engines caught fire after a bird strike. Flight 240 took off headed for Doha at 1:20 pm local time and then after the strike and fire, made a U-turn and landed back in Istanbul 40 minutes later.
Soon after take-off, the aircraft’s left engine was struck by birds over the Marmara Sea which caused the engine to burst into flames.
Twin-engine planes like the A330 can fly safely with a single engine, and there are safeguards to stop fires from spreading, including fire extinguishers inside the engines that can be activated from the cockpit.
The 298 passengers and 14-member flight crew all disembarked safely.