Boeing Cargo Plane Lands in Istanbul without Front Landing Gear, No Casualties 

An exterior view of the new Istanbul Modern Art Museum building looking towards the Galata tower in Istanbul. (AFP)
An exterior view of the new Istanbul Modern Art Museum building looking towards the Galata tower in Istanbul. (AFP)
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Boeing Cargo Plane Lands in Istanbul without Front Landing Gear, No Casualties 

An exterior view of the new Istanbul Modern Art Museum building looking towards the Galata tower in Istanbul. (AFP)
An exterior view of the new Istanbul Modern Art Museum building looking towards the Galata tower in Istanbul. (AFP)

A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without the front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Türkiye's transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.

The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.

Airport rescue and firefighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.

Video footage obtained from Reuters showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.

The runway where the cargo plane landed has been temporarily closed to air traffic, but traffic on the other runways at the airport was continuing without any interruption, the airport operator IGA said.



Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Japan's ancient imperial family will launch a YouTube account next week, the government said Friday, in the latest attempt at public outreach by the tradition-bound monarchy.
Last year the royals made their social media debut with an Instagram account which now has nearly two million followers.
Its posts show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their family meeting foreign dignitaries, visiting victims of natural disasters or checking out prized art exhibits.
From Tuesday the family will also publish videos on YouTube, a spokesman at the Imperial Household Agency told AFP.
Naruhito, 65, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 after his father became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.
The monarchy holds no political power under Japan's post-war constitution, instead acting as symbolic figureheads.
Although the family remain deeply adored and respected, especially among older citizens, they also face huge pressure to meet exacting standards of behavior and have sometimes become the target of online vitriol.
The emperor's brother Prince Akishino said last year that his family had been targeted by "bullying-like" messages.
When his daughter Mako married her college sweetheart in 2021, reports appeared in Japanese media about money troubles faced by his mother, a scandal seen as damaging to the royal family.
The couple opted not to have a public wedding ceremony and left Japan to live in the United States.