PAA rejects reports of ‘major disaster averted’ at Islamabad airport

The Pakistan Airports Authority on Wednesday rejected recent reports that an aviation disaster was narrowly avoided at Islamabad International Airport, characterising the incident as a standard safety exercise rather than an emergency.

Local media reported that the Saudi Arabia-based flight SV278, en route from Jeddah to Islamabad, was prevented by air traffic control from landing on a closed runway, allegedly averting a “major disaster”. According to the publicly available flight tracker, the flight landed at 5:13pm, over an hour later than its scheduled arrival of 4:05pm.

A local news outlet reports that the statement by the PAA read, “The recent go-around at Islamabad International Airport involving flight SV728 was a standard and internationally practised safety measure, executed precisely as per established protocols.” A "go-around" is a common aviation manoeuvre where a pilot aborts a landing attempt and circles for another approach, under established safety protocols.

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The PAA cautioned against sensationalising the incident, saying that “sensational reporting may unintentionally create unnecessary concern among the travelling public and lead to misunderstandings about normal aviation practices,” reaffirming its commitment to transparency and emphasising that airport safety standards remain top priority across Pakistan’s airports.

The near miss

According to reports from aviation‑industry sources, a flight operated by Saudi Airlines arrived from Jeddah and was making its final approach to Islamabad when it incorrectly aligned with a runway shut for maintenance: Runway 28 Left had been out of service, and only the operational runway, Runway 28 Right, was available for landings.

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Despite repeated warnings from air traffic control that the aircraft was lined up with the closed runway, the pilot continued the descent, “insisting” they were on the correct approach, according to a report. However, the controller intervened at the last moment and ordered a go‑around.

Reports say that had the aircraft touched down on Runway 28 Left, the consequences could have been catastrophic, as at the time, workers and vehicles were reportedly present on the closed runway undertaking repair works.