Karachi: After failing to land at the Lahore Airport during heavy rain, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane remained in the Indian airspace for 10 minutes and returned to Pakistan after travelling 125 kilometres over India’s Punjab, state media reported.
It was raining heavily when flight PK-248 of Pakistan’s national airline arrived in Lahore from Muscat at 8 p.m. on May 4. The pilot attempted to land at the Allama Iqbal International Airport at 8:05 p.m., but the Boeing 777 aircraft became unstable and could not land.
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 plane entered the Indian airspace from the Badhana police station area in Punjab at 8:11 p.m. Pakistan time, The News reported.
The Boeing 777 aircraft was at an altitude of 13,500 feet moving at a speed of 292 kilometre per hour. At the point where the plane entered India, located 37 km from Amritsar, is the area of the Chhina Bidhi Chand village.
The plane turned back from Naushehra Pannuan after travelling 40 km through the city of Taran Sahib and Rasulpur in India’s Punjab. While flying in the Indian airspace, the captain took the plane to a height of 20,000 feet, The News reported.
The plane flew in the Indian airspace for seven minutes and entered the Pakistani territory from near the village of Jhagian Noor Muhammad in India’s Punjab. The flight then re-entered Indian territory via the villages of Dona Mabboki, Chaant, Dhupsari Kasur and Ghati Kalanjar in the Kasur district of Pakistan’s Punjab.
Three minutes later, at 8:22 p.m., the plane re-entered the Pakistani territory from the village of Lakha Singhwala Hithar in India’s Punjab. At that time, the plane was at an altitude of 23,000 feet at a speed of 320 km, The News reported.
After entering Pakistani airspace, the aircraft flew to Multan, passing by Hujra Shah Muqeem and Dipalpur. The aircraft travelled a total of 120 km in the Indian territory in 10 minutes, The News reported.
