LAHORE – In a rare incident, an aircraft of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) entered Indian airspace after it could not land at the Lahore airport amid bad weather, it emerged on Monday.
The incident occurred on May 4, when Lahore-bound Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-248 slated to land at Allama Iqbal International Airport however the extreme weather conditions forced it to enter the air space of a neighboring country and that’s in a time when the tensions between two sides remain unabated.
As the aging commercial airliner entered Indian airspace, the Indian air force was reportedly on high alert and was closely monitoring the jetliner.
Amid the heavy rain and thunderstorm, the pilot aborted the landing at Lahore airport, and after being told to perform a go-around for another attempt by the control tower, the pilot ‘accidentally’ flew into Indian airspace for around 10 minutes before landing at the Multan airport.
It was reported that the PIA jet flew over Taran Sahib and Rasulpur in the Indian Punjab, and then turned around towards Pakistan near Kasur. The plane traveled a total of 120 km in the Indian territory for almost ten minutes.
During the brief period, the air control officers of the two countries remained in contact until the pilot managed to take the aircraft back to own country.
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