A Dubai-bound plane carrying 82 people on board was pulled off the runway minutes before takeoff after pilot detected smoke in the cockpit, Karachi airport officials said.
At around 7:45 pm, just as Emirates airlines flight EK-609 was due to depart, the pilot called for emergency assistance soon after he had started backing off the Airbus 320, they said.
“We are not sure about the nature of this emergency. Right now I can tell you that fire tenders are being dispatched on the distress call,” said Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman Pervez George.
“All the passengers and crew members were evacuated and the plane has been parked on one side. No one was hurt.” The plane deployed chutes to evacuate passengers.
The flights coming in and out of Jinnah International Airport Karachi have not been affected, he concluded.
In its statement, Emirates said that the flight was cancelled due to technical reasons after crew detected smoke in the cabin. It said that the passengers were booked on another flight. “The cause of the smoke is under investigation.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
I would have to agree that Emirates has the oldest and worst planes in the karachi to dubai sector in comparison to what it has in all the other sectors.
Khurram: I travel frequently as well. I wont disagree. This is like a bus service basically with 6 flights a day. But honestly, id take this bus service over our PIA because of their amazing safety record and respect for the customer. The aircraft are older, but still very well maintained and cared for.
Lion Sahab, Emirates has one of the best safety records in the World. Leaving all american airlines far behind. This was a technical glitch, and all passengers were immediately shifted to the next flight. Thats how the aviation industry works. These are predetermined rules and there is no govt involvement in these matters, not unless there is a loss of life or a serious injury to passengers.
Mr. Lion King, I want to inform you that in the statement issued,Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused and also announced to rebook passengers to EK603 which departed Karachi Airport few hours after the incidence at 2330 l but unfortunately their complete statement not published here. I request all my fellow countrymen not to involve foreign investors in country's politics. Emirates Airlines is very serious in doing business in Pakistan and they give high priority to Pakistan and its people.
Had this happened in Europe, America or even in India Emirates would have apologized the thousand times besides announcing compensation and consolation for the passengers
but in this Gullu Leage and Wadera Corruption Party "democracy" it knows it's above the law and people's accountability here so it gave a damn to the whole shameful episode
I have traveled frequently by Emirates to US through this route, and one thing I have noticed is that they have the worst air crafts on this sector, when compared to those flying out of Dubai to Europe etc