Saudi-bound PIA flight makes ‘technical landing’ in Lahore

Flight PK-755 took off from Sialkot at 6am, was scheduled to land in Riyadh at 8am

KARACHI: The pilot of a Saudi-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, which took off from Sialkot earlier in the morning, made a technical landing at Lahore airport, the airlines spokesperson said.

“First of all, it was not an emergency landing because an emergency landing is different from a technical landing,” Mashood Tajwar told The Express Tribune, rebuffing ‘rumours’ of the plane catching fire mid-air.



“The pilot detected a technical flaw and as a precautionary measure made a technical landing at Lahore airport where a full checkup of the plane is being carried out by the engineering department,” the spokesperson added. “We do not have any engineering facility in Riyadh so it is better to have it cleared by the engineering department here in Lahore.”

The national flag-carrier’s flight PK-755, carrying approximately 300 passengers, took off from Sialkot at 6am in the morning and was scheduled to land in the Saudi capital of Riyadh at 8am. The flight will now undergo a final inspection by the civil aviation authority before leaving for its destination. “It is now expected to land in Riyadh by 12 noon,” Tajwar said.