PIA plane temporarily grounded after collision with conveyer belt van

PIA spokesperson says driver has been suspended from duty following the incident

KARACHI: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane was temporarily grounded at the Karachi airport on Monday after its engine was damaged after colliding with a conveyer belt van.

Abdullah Hafeez, the national flag carrier's spokesperson, told The Express Tribune that the van used to deliver passenger cargo to the aircraft collided with the Airbus 320 parked in the apron at the Jinnah International Airport.

Two PIA flights land safely after developing technical issues

"The engine cowl was damaged and had to be replaced which led to the delay. I can confirm that the driver has now been suspended from duty," he went on to say. Sources, however, claim that untrained PIA staff caused the mishap.

The national flag carrier has been fraught in controversy as of late as earlier this year, two of its flights managed to make safe landings after technical issues developed enroute to their destinations.

The engine of flight PK-650, enroute from Lahore to Islamabad, had malfunctioned and shut down after reportedly ingesting a foreign object.

The pilot then switched the engine off and landed the plane safely. There were 38 passengers onboard besides the PIA staff, all of whom remained unhurt in the incident.