A Turkish Airlines flight heading to Istanbul had to make an emergency landing back at Entebbe International Airport on Sunday morning. 

The A333 aircraft, carrying 259 passengers, circled over Entebbe for about three hours to burn off fuel and ensure a safe landing weight. 

According to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), flight TK612 took off from Entebbe at around 7:14 AM on January 26, 2025, but couldn’t continue to Istanbul due to safety concerns. 

The plane successfully landed back at Entebbe at 10:50 AM after flying in the Northern Kampala airspace for over three hours to reach a safe landing weight. 

CAA stated that the precautionary measures taken are standard safety protocols in aviation. 

All passengers and crew members were safely disembarked. 

While the exact safety issues that led to the emergency holding pattern are still unclear, Mr. Vianney Luggya from CAA mentioned that the airline only reported "technical problems." 

The CAA is currently waiting for the investigation results to clarify the situation. 

An "emergency holding pattern" is when an aircraft is directed to fly in a specific area after takeoff to safely delay its landing while the crew assesses any reported issues and decides on the best action. 

This procedure can also involve burning or dumping fuel to reduce the aircraft's weight for a safe return. 

In January 2023, another Turkish Airlines Airbus 330 had to make an emergency landing after bird strikes shortly after takeoff, circling for nearly two hours before landing back at Entebbe with 281 people on board.