Superjet with 99 passengers issues Mayday over suspected fire

A Superjet carrying 99 passengers issued a Mayday distress call over Nizhny Novgorod after a fire alarm was triggered in the aircraft's luggage hold, according to SHOT.

The Azimuth Airlines aircraft was operating a flight from St Petersburg to Tbilisi when, at an altitude of around 10,500 metres, the cockpit received an alert indicating a fire in the luggage hold.

The pilots issued the international Mayday distress call and activated the aircraft's fire suppression system.

The crew landed the aircraft safely at Nizhny Novgorod Airport. No one was injured, and a subsequent inspection found no signs of fire.

The aircraft flew to Moscow the following morning and returned to service.

By Aghakazim Guliyev