A Turkish Airlines widebody aircraft en route to Istanbul was diverted to Kolkata on Wednesday noon after an engine problem was detected shortly after take-off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport.

Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said that flight THY-727 took off at 1:29 pm from Kathmandu and reported a malfunction in one of the two engines during the climb.

“The pilot informed the Kathmandu tower and continued flying on a single engine, holding the aircraft for some time over the Dharke area of Dhading district, to assess the situation,” he said.

Following checks, the crew concluded that the aircraft was not safe for a long-haul flight.

Although the widebody aircraft had the option to return to Kathmandu or Bhairahawa, the crew decided not to take any risk and diverted the flight to Kolkata, India.

The aircraft landed safely at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at 3:03 pm, airport authorities said.

There were 236 passengers onboard, including 11 crew members.