Pakistan Airlines flight strays into Indian airspace amid bad weather at Lahore airport

Pakistan International Airline (PIA) strayed into Indian airspace for about 10 minutes as it was unable to land at Lahore airport due to heavy rain, according to a report in The News.

“Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 Dammam to Lahore flight PK248 permitted to use Indian airspace due to bad weather (rain/thunderstorm) in & around Lahore. The aircraft landed safely in Multan,” according to a tweet by Pakistan Aviation News.

The pilots of PIA flight PK248 that arrived from Damman at 8 pm on May 4th made an attempt to land at the airport, but due to the heavy rain, the Boeing 777 aircraft lost its stability and could not make a safe landing.

Following instructions from the air traffic controller, the pilot executed a go-around approach. However, due to the heavy rain and low visibility, he lost his way during the process, according to the newspaper report.

At a speed of 292 km/hr and an altitude of 13,500 feet, the aircraft entered Indian airspace from the Badhana police station.

After passing through Tarn Taran Sahib and Rasulpur in the Indian Punjab, the plane turned back from Naushehra Pannuan, covering a distance of 40 kilometers within the Indian cities.

During its flight within Indian airspace, the captain ascended to an altitude of 20,000 feet, and the aircraft remained in Indian airspace for a duration of seven minutes.

The plane continued its flight to Multan after making a 120 km detour through Indian territory.