Plane’s landing gear bursts into flames after touching down at airport

Egyptian civil aviation ministry says blaze ‘could have turned into a disaster’

A passenger plane’s landing gear burst into flames after it touched down at an airport in Egypt.

The Boeing 737-800 had just landed at Sharm el-Sheikh airport on Saturday, carrying 196 passengers and crew.

CCTV footage showed the plane coming to a stop as the wheels on the left side caught fire.

The flames can be seen to intensify as smoke billows from the landing gear and emergency crews rush forward.

They quickly extinguish the the fire before it can spread.

Egypt’s civil aviation ministry praised the ground crew for their quick reaction, Flight Global reported.

The ministry said the fire “could have turned into a disaster” and was caused by a leak of hydraulic oil.

The flight, from Zaporizhia in Ukraine, was operated by SkyUp Airlines.

All 189 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated without injuries.