Pakistan airline flight enters Indian airspace for 10 minutes; Read details

The pilot attempted to land the aircraft, but due to heavy rains, it became unstable, forcing the pilot to make a go-around, according to local media reports.  

Lahore: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft spent nearly ten minutes in Indian airspace after having trouble landing at the Lahore airport. On May 4, PIA aircraft PK248 was headed back to Lahore from Muscat when it was unable to land at Allama Iqbal International Airport because of poor weather.

The pilot attempted to land the aircraft, but due to heavy rains, it became unstable, forcing the pilot to make a go-around, according to local media reports.

The aircraft made a go-around with the approval of the air traffic controller (ATC) and briefly lost direction because of adverse weather and low altitude. At a height of 13,500 feet and a speed of 292 km/h, it entered Indian airspace close to the Badhana police station.

The PIA aircraft left Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran, Punjab, and travelled for about 40 kilometres through Indian airspace before making its way back. The airplane remained circling for around seven minutes while the pilot was flying it at 20,000 feet in Indian airspace.

The flight entered Indian airspace again after leaving Pakistan and passed close to the town of Jhagian Noor Muhammad. This time, it hovered for around three minutes before returning to Pakistan from the Punjab village of Lakha Singhwala Hithar.

According to reports in the media, the PIA flight spent a total of 10 minutes in Indian airspace.

It is to be noted that after the Pulwama attack in 2019, which resulted in the deaths of 40 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), India and Pakistan barred their airspace from one another.