A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger aircraft narrowly avoided a calamity after a bird struck its engine soon after taking off from the New Islamabad International Airport.
According to aviation sources, the pilots skilfully landed the plane back at the airport. The incident occurred during PIA flight PK325's departure to Quetta, with six crew members and 158 passengers on board.
Upon detecting the engine issue caused by the bird strike, the pilot promptly alerted the control tower and safely returned for landing. Air traffic control swiftly cleared the runway, facilitating the safe landing of the aircraft at Islamabad Airport.
Authorities confirmed that all 158 passengers and six crew members were unharmed. The plane was grounded for inspection by engineers, while the passengers were accommodated on another flight to Quetta.
A couple of years ago, official statistics revealed that as many as 66 incidents of birds hitting PIA planes.
National and foreign airlines faced financial loss due to bird strikes on aircraft inside Pakistan’s air space followed by a lack of cleanliness and delay in installation of the bird control system at airports.
A PIA spokesperson said 66 cases of birds hitting PIA planes have been reported as most of the people used to feed the birds in adjoining areas of the airports.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2024.
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