An IndiGo Airlines flight en route from New Delhi to Jeddah was diverted to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport after a 55-year-old male passenger fell seriously ill while the aircraft was in Pakistani airspace.
Aviation sources revealed that the passenger’s condition rapidly deteriorated during the flight, Express News reported.
The crew administered oxygen, but despite these efforts, the situation worsened.
The pilot of the Airbus A320 contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control to request an emergency landing.
Acting on humanitarian grounds, the pilot’s request was swiftly approved, and the aircraft was cleared to land in Karachi.
Upon arrival, a medical team from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) boarded the aircraft and provided immediate medical assistance.
The passenger, an Indian Muslim national, was stabilised and given medication before being escorted off the plane.
Sources confirmed that the flight, originally bound for Jeddah, was redirected to return to Delhi instead.
Even in October, Karachi air traffic control was briefly put on alert after a bomb threat was reported on board Air India flight AI147, which was en route from Ahmedabad, India, to London’s Gatwick Airport.
The aircraft’s captain informed Pakistani authorities that the situation on board was under control, opting to continue the journey without diverting.
The flight, which entered Pakistani airspace near Tharparkar, passed over Nawabshah and Kalat before crossing into Afghanistan.
Sources said the plane was in Pakistani airspace for approximately one hour and 35 minutes, covering nearly 700 nautical miles. It was briefly placed in a holding pattern before resuming its course due to some complexities, but no emergency landing was requested.
The flight carried on to its destination, adhering to standard aviation procedures that involve alerting the next air traffic control region when a security threat is reported. “The captain decided to handle the situation, reporting calm inside the cabin,” sources stated.
In cases involving bomb threats, international protocols dictate that affected planes, if forced to land, must be parked at least one kilometre away from other airport facilities in an isolated bay for security reasons.
