Hajj flight makes emergency landing

ISLAMABAD:

A Saudi Arabia-bound flight that took off from Islamabad on Thursday made an emergency landing in Oman after developing a technical fault.

The plane, flight number SV-3743, carrying over 300 passengers, mostly Hajj pilgrims, left Islamabad for Jeddah at around 10:30 am.

The flight was supposed to land in Jeddah at 3:30 pm. However, the plane developed a technical fault and its pilot was forced to land it at an airport in Oman. No injuries to the passengers have been reported.

The plane is stranded at the airport in Oman and the passengers will leave for Jeddah on Friday (today) in a new flight at around 2:30 pm Pakistan time.

Earlier, despite the passage of nine hours, the flight did not land in Jeddah – raising alarm bells. However, the airline’s country manager refused to provide any information about the flight.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also turned down requests to reveal any details about the plane.

Despite earlier reports that the plane had made an emergency landing in Oman, both the airline and the CAA refused to confirm the development.