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Rabat- 275 Moroccans returning from their Hajj in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) had a nightmarish experience on Friday, when the landing gear of their Jeddah-Casablanca flight exploded.
According to Anadolu agency, the incident happened as the pilot of the Casablanca-bound flight was preparing to land last night at Cairo International Airport in order to refuel the aircraft. Once on the runway, an explosion blasted the plane, the rear landing gear blew up, and the plane caught fire, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu citing officials from Cairo Airport.
Fortunately, the pilot managed to control the aircraft and bring it to a stop, and all passengers were evacuated safely, although not immediately.
According to a Royal Air Maroc source cited by Le360, officials of Royal Air Maroc deplored the unwelcoming manner in which the Egyptian authorities dealt with the Moroccan passengers.
Cairo’s airport authorities refused to let the returning pilgrims out of the plane while the aircraft was being inspected. The Moroccan carrier mobilized another aircraft, a Boeing 737, to safely carry the Moroccan pilgrims back home.
The plane carrying the Moroccan pilgrims is not part of RAM fleet, according to the same source, but a Ukrainian charter used to meet the high demand for return of Moroccan pilgrims.
