ISLAMABAD: A commercial aircraft belonging to Pakistan International Airlines entered Indian airspace after it failed to land in Lahore because of unfavourable weather. The plane flew inside Indian airspace for about 10 minutes before turning around.
According to reports the PIA flight PK248 which connects Dammam to Lahore was unable to land at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore due to the heavy rain. The pilot attempted to land but the heavy rains made it impossible for the Boeing 777 to safely touchdown.
As per the instructions of the air traffic controller, the pilot attempted a go-around approach, during which he lost his bearing due to the unfavourable weather and entered Indian airspace. The plane Boeing 777 was flying at an altitude of 13500 feet and moving at a speed of 292 km/hr when it entered the Indian Airspace.
The plane was in Indian airspace for around 7 minutes as it entered via the area under the Badhana Police Station. It turned around from Naushehra Pannuan after travelling 40 km through the city of Taran Sahib and Rasulpur in Punjab of India. It also climbed to an altitude of 20000 feet while in Indian airspace before exiting Indian airspace via the village of Jhagian Noor Muhammad.
The place reentered Indian airspace a few minutes later and exited about three minutes later. It was at an altitude of 23000 feet and moving at a speed of 230 km/hr as it went to Multan.
According to the experts, the plane travelled about 120 km inside the Indian territory within the 10 minutes that it was flying.
In a separate incident, a MiG 21 jet fighter belonging to the Indian Air Force crashed in Hanumangarh of Rajasthan. Although the pilot was able to eject safely, the incident led to the death of two civilians.
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