An Azman Air Airbus A340-600 caught fire on one of its main landing gear at Jeddah-King Abdulaziz International Airport earlier this week on April 14.
The Airbus A340-600, with registration 5N-AAM, had arrived in Jeddah as flight ZQ2350 from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Nigeria. The plane had reached the apron, and passengers had begun disembarking the aircraft via stairs when they saw the flames.
In a video shared on the internet, fire is seen on one of the main landing gear as passengers disembark the aircraft.
The airport emergency team responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire with no further incidents. The aircraft probably suffered brake overheating during landing.
No one was injured in the incident. However, the damage sustained by the aircraft’s landing gear is still unknown. The aircraft has been grounded in Jeddah since the incident.
Azman Air Fleet and Operation
Azman Air operates a fleet of six aircraft, comprising five Boeing 737s and an Airbus A340-600. The 15.7 years old A340 is an Ex-Virgin Atlantic Airways aircraft, and Azman Air took the delivery of the A340 in March 2020.
Azman Air started operating the quad-jet in late 2020 to meet high demands for charters for pilgrimages in Saudi Arabia, such as Hajj and Umrah. If it took longer to repair the A340, Azman would have a severe impact on its flight operations, as it’s the sole wide-body in its fleet.
The Ex-Virgin Atlantic A340 is currently configured in an unfamiliar configuration with only 2 Business class seats and 411 Economy class seats.
Were you aware of Azman Air’s Airbus A340 operation? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature Image via Twitter