- Saudia Airbus A330 from Riyadh to Peshawar catches fire on landing; passengers safely evacuated.
- Smoke detected in landing gear during landing at Peshawar International Airport.
- Saudia provides official statement clarifying the incident and current status of the aircraft.
A Saudia flight from Riyadh experienced a landing gear fire on arrival at Peshawar, and the emergency evacuation was caught on camera.
Saudia clears the air on Peshawar landing blunder
A routine flight from Riyadh to Peshawar took a harrowing turn when Saudia flight SV792, an Airbus A330-300, landed at Peshawar International Airport (PEW) and a fire reportedly broke out in the left landing gear.
According to reports, the aircraft had just completed its scheduled service from King Khaled International Airport (RUH) when smoke was seen emanating from one of the landing gear tyres during landing.
In an official statement released by Saudia shortly after the incident, the airline confirmed:
“Saudia clarifies that its aircraft, flying from Riyadh to Peshawar on flight number SV792, experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan. The aircraft was immediately stopped, and the relevant authorities were notified. All guests and crew were safely evacuated through the evacuation slide.”
Video footage that surfaced on social media captured the dramatic scene, showing the aircraft with its emergency slides deployed and passengers disembarking swiftly.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the evacuation was conducted efficiently, ensuring the safety of everyone on board.
Does Saudia operate direct flights to South Africa?
In December 2023, Saudia reintroduced direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Saudia scheduled four weekly flights from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah (SV0449) with returning flights from Johannesburg Airport (SV0448).
The flights are operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The Dreamliner features 24 business-class seats and 274 economy-class seats, offering spacious seating arrangements and state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment systems.
Musaed Almusaed, AVP of International Regions Sales at Saudia, emphasised the importance of this route, stating:
“It’s important to strengthen Saudia’s presence in South Africa by introducing direct routes to Johannesburg. These flights offer convenient time schedules, highlighting efficient collaboration with the ACP. This initiative reinforces Saudia’s expansion plans to attract more tourists from around the world to the Kingdom.”
