Lahore-Bound PIA Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Saudi Arabia

(MENAFN- IANS) Islamabad, Dec 20 (IANS) A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight en route from Jeddah to Lahore made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a technical alert was received mid-air, triggering the deployment of oxygen masks and causing panic among passengers, including dozens of Umrah pilgrims, local media reported on Saturday.

"According to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson, flight PK-860 was scheduled to land at Lahore airport at 8 pm, however, it diverted to Dammam's King Fahd International Airport due to a technical issue. Officials say the plane was carrying 381 passengers," leading Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported on Saturday.

It mentioned further that a similar incident took place last month when PIA flight PK-859 from Lahore to Jeddah was forced to divert mid-flight and land at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport because the first officer's windshield cracked.

"The incident caused panic among passengers, and PIA officials said the windshield would be replaced before passengers continued their journey to Jeddah on the same or alternative aircraft," the daily reported.

Earlier this year, a PIA domestic flight landed in Lahore without one of its rear wheels, leaving authorities shocked on what seemed like a major blunder on part of the flight management.

PIA flight PK-306 left from Karachi enroute to Lahore on March 13. Upon landing at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, it was discovered that one of the wheels of the landing gear was missing.

“The issue was discovered during an inspection following the flight's landing at the airport," a PIA spokesperson said.

The interesting part was that despite extensive search, no trace of the missing tyre was found.

Authorities at the Karachi International Airport had confirmed that the missing wheel was present when the plane took off from Karachi. It was also maintained that the plane made a normal landing at the Lahore airport.

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