Faced with deteriorating weather, pilot diverts plane toward Amritsar
A foreign airline flight en route from Islamabad to Dubai briefly entered Indian airspace on Thursday morning due to adverse weather conditions, airport sources confirmed.
According to sources at Lahore airport, the aircraft veered off its planned route and entered Indian airspace near the Sialkot-Narowal sector after encountering heavy rainfall and poor visibility in Lahore’s air corridor.
Faced with deteriorating weather conditions, the pilot diverted the plane toward Amritsar, India, in search of safer skies. The aircraft remained in Indian airspace for approximately 10 minutes, sources added.
On the instructions of air traffic control authorities, the aircraft safely returned to Pakistani airspace after the brief diversion.
“This kind of temporary deviation is not uncommon during periods of intense weather disturbance,” an airport official explained. “The safety of passengers and crew is the top priority, and standard procedures were followed in coordination with air traffic control.”
Also Read: Saudi Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Karachi
Also, a Saudi Airlines flight en route from Karachi to Jeddah was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff on Friday due to a technical fault, airport officials confirmed. Fortunately, all passengers were reported safe.
According to sources, the aircraft had just departed from Jinnah International Airport when the captain noticed a technical issue, prompting immediate action. The pilot contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control and requested permission for an emergency landing, which was swiftly granted.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) stated that the pilot decided to dump fuel as a precautionary measure after the engine warning light was activated. The airport administration initiated emergency procedures under standard operating protocols (SOPs) and ensured that all necessary services were on standby.
