Passenger dies on flight from Istanbul to Lahore

A flight from Istanbul to Lahore was forced to make an emergency landing in Baku due to the death of a passenger.

According to aviation sources,  Turkish Airlines flight TK 714 was scheduled to land at Allama Iqbal International Airport at 4:35 AM. However, a passenger's health deteriorated while the aircraft was in Azerbaijan's airspace.

The pilot requested permission from Baku Air Traffic Control for a medical emergency landing, which was granted.

The Airbus A330 subsequently landed at Baku Airport.

Emergency medical personnel immediately examined the passenger upon landing, but unfortunately, the passenger had already passed away.

The medical team confirmed the death and the body was handed over to the airline's administration after necessary formalities.

The flight resumed its journey to Lahore approximately two and a half hours later, arriving with a delay of three and a half hours, which also affected its scheduled departure to Istanbul.

Previously, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag carrier, temporarily suspended its flights to Turkiye, according to sources.

The flight operations were halted on September 28 due to the PIA's failure to pay for required inventory and airport slots at Istanbul Airport.

No PIA flights were to be allowed to operate to Turkiye until October 13.

Currently, the PIA operates four weekly flights to Turkiye from Islamabad and Lahore.