A Shree Airlines aircraft flying to Bhairahawa from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu returned mid-flight after the aircraft’s fire detection system warned of a fire in one of the plane’s engines.

The aircraft with the registration number 9N-ANR took off from the TIA with 78 passengers onboard at 9:38am.

The flight crew made the decision to fly back to the TIA shortly after the takeoff following a warning from the aircraft’s fire detection system of a possible fire in the plane’s right engine, said Teknath Sitaula, spokesperson at the TIA.

The flight returned back at TIA at 9:55am.

The passengers aboard the flight will be flown to their destination on another flight, Shree Airlines spokesperson Anil Manandhar said.

The engineers of Shree Airlines are currently inspecting the aircraft.