Russian Authorities Launch Investigation into Fire on Sukhoi Superjet 100 at Turkey’s Antalya Airport

Russian authorities, including Rosaviatsiya and the Investigative Committee, have launched a probe into a fire that broke out on a Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by Azimuth airline during its landing at Antalya Airport on Sunday.

All 89 passengers and six crew members on board were evacuated safely, and no injuries have been reported.

The aircraft, identified as RA-89085, was operating Flight A45051 from Sochi, a Russian Black Sea resort, to Antalya. According to reports, one of the jet’s engines caught fire as it landed in adverse weather conditions, including wind shear. The plane made a rough landing, hitting the runway hard, which may have caused the fire. The flames were promptly extinguished, and passengers were evacuated using inflatable ramps.

Access to the runway where the incident occurred has been closed, and Antalya Airport has halted inbound flights until 3:00 a.m. local time (12:00 a.m. GMT). Departures are being redirected to a military runway. Passengers have been moved to the terminal, and arrangements are being made for their return flight.

Russian authorities, including Rosaviatsiya and the Russian Investigative Committee, are investigating the incident. Russian diplomats have arrived at the scene and are in communication with Turkish authorities to provide assistance to Russian citizens affected by the event.

A representative of Azimuth Airlines told RIA Novosti that the aircraft experienced a "hard landing due to wind shear during landing."

This incident follows a tragic crash four months ago involving an SSJ100 operated by Gazprom-Avia near Kolomna, Moscow Region, where the crew, though losing their lives, managed to divert the aircraft away from populated areas before it crashed into a forest and erupted in flames, with no casualties reported on the ground.

On November 24, Another Azimuth Airlines plane flying the Mineralnye Vody–Ufa–Krasnoyarsk route landed at Krasnoyarsk International Airport with a hydraulic fault in its front landing gear. Dmitry Tronin, head of the airport's corporate communications department, clarified to state-controlled RIA Novosti that the crew did not declare an emergency but requested a standard landing despite the malfunction. No passengers or crew members were injured.