Pakistan Airport Authority (on) has launched a study of back-to-back events involving three foreign aircraft that remain temporarily grounded in Karachis Jinnah International Airport.
A cargo aircraft operated by an international courier company was hit by a loader truck during ground handling operations late Sunday night. The collision damaged the air’s left wing light and affected three sections of the aircraft body.
The incident took place after rainfall left the airport’s asphalt wet and smooth, which led 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 perform repairs.
On has launched a thorough study and instructed the provider of soil management, Gerry’s DNata, to submit a detailed Report on the incident.
Read: Three large Pakistani airports to get e-port
Bird strike
Before this, an international flight that was on its way to Istanbul was grounded for over 15 hours after a bird attack damaged its engine. The flight was a taxi for starting early Friday morning when the bird collision took place. Passengers were moved to the airport lounge while engineers performed repairs.
Officials noticed that bird activity waves after rain, increasing risks around the airport’s funnel zone. On had issued warnings earlier this week and increased the number of bird shooters to mitigate risks during the rainy season.
Motor problems
A third incident involved a Gulf Airlines flight on its way to Jeddah that made an emergency landing minutes after start due to a engine fire warning. The pilot immediately contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control (ATC) and requested a technical landing permission.
ATC cleared runway 25l for emergency landing of the aircraft. The pilot dumped fuel and turned the flight back against Karachi as a caution. All 218 passengers had probably gone out. The first inspections found no actual engine failure. Engineers are currently handling the repairs.
Passengers on the affected international flights have been rebooked on alternative aircraft.
