PIA aircraft strays in Indian airspace for 10 mins after failing to land in Lahore

PTI, May 7, 2023, 5:03 PM IST

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A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft flew in Indian airspace for almost 10 minutes as the plane failed to land at the Lahore airport due to heavy rain, according to a media report on Sunday.

The PIA flight PK248, which returned from Muscat on May 4 at 8 pm, failed to land at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore due to the heavy rain, The News reported.

The pilot attempted to land at the airport, but the Boeing 777 aircraft became unstable and could not land, it added.

On the instructions of the air traffic controller, the pilot initiated the go-around approach, during which he lost his way due to heavy rain and low altitude, the paper said.

The aircraft, flying at an altitude of 13,500 feet with a speed of 292 km/hr, entered the Indian airspace from the Badhana police station.

The plane turned back from Naushehra Pannuan after travelling 40 kms through the city of Taran Sahib and Rasulpur in the Indian Punjab.

While flying in Indian airspace, the captain took the plane to a height of 20,000 feet, and the plane flew in the Indian airspace for seven minutes.

The flight then re-entered the Pakistani airspace from near the village of Jhagian Noor Muhammad in the Indian Punjab. The flight then re-entered Indian airspace via the villages of Dona Mabboki, Chaant, Dhupsari Kasur and Ghati Kalanjar in Kasur district of the Pakistani Punjab.

Three minutes later, the plane re-entered Pakistani territory from the village of Lakha Singhwala Hithar in the Indian Punjab. At that time, the plane was at an altitude of 23,000 feet at a speed of 320 kms.

After entering Pakistan’s airspace, the plane flew to Multan.

The plane travelled a total of 120 kilometres in the Indian territory for almost ten minutes, the paper added.