UPDATE - FedEx cargo plane lands on its nose at Istanbul Airport after landing gear fails

UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS BY ISTANBUL GOVERNOR, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Gokhan Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - A FedEx cargo plane Wednesday landed on its nose at Istanbul Airport due to a malfunctioning landing gear.

FedEx Airlines' Boeing 763 cargo plane, operating the Paris-Istanbul route, requested emergency landing permission from the Istanbul Airport control tower after its nose landing gear failed to deploy.

The airport took necessary measures for landing, and the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service teams were dispatched to the runway.

The cabin crew safely evacuated the plane without any injuries.

The plane landed on Runway 16R at Istanbul Airport, which is currently closed to flights.

Efforts were underway to tow the plane off the runway, while investigations into the accident continue.

"Istanbul Airport is one of the most comprehensive and qualified airports in the world. So, a disruption on any runway does not affect flights. Flights continue," said Istanbul Governor Davut Gul.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi