The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) has launched an investigation into back-to-back incidents involving three foreign aircraft that remain temporarily grounded at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport.
A cargo plane operated by an international courier company was struck by a loader truck during ground handling operations late Sunday night. The collision damaged the aircraft’s left wing lights and affected three sections of the fuselage.
The incident occurred after rainfall left the airport’s tarmac wet and slippery, leading to a suspected brake failure on the loader truck. No repair work has started yet. A team of experts is expected to arrive from abroad to conduct repairs.
The PAA has launched a thorough investigation and directed the ground handling provider, Gerry’s dnata, to submit a detailed report on the incident.
Bird strike
Prior to this, an international flight bound for Istanbul was grounded for over 15 hours after a bird strike damaged its engine. The flight was taxiing for takeoff early Friday morning when the bird collision occurred. Passengers were shifted to the airport lounge while engineers carried out repairs.
Officials noted that bird activity surges after rain, increasing risks around the airport’s funnel zone. The PAA had issued warnings earlier this week and increased the number of bird shooters to mitigate risks during the rainy season.
Engine trouble
A third incident involved a gulf airlines flight en route to Jeddah that made an emergency landing minutes after takeoff due to an engine fire warning. The pilot promptly contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control (ATC) and requested permission for a technical landing.
ATC cleared runway 25L for the emergency landing of the aircraft. The pilot dumped fuel and turned the flight back towards Karachi as a precaution. All 218 passengers were safely disembarked. Initial inspections found no actual engine malfunction. Engineers are currently handling the repairs.
Passengers on the affected International flights have been rebooked on alternative aircraft.
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