Mar 21, 2022: Qatar Airways Flight QR579 from Delhi to Doha has made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan.
The flight was diverted to Pakistan after smoke was detected in the cargo bay of the plane. Qatar Airways was operating an Airbus A350 on the route.
According to data on flight tracking website Flighaware, QR579 flew from Delhi at its scheduled departure time of 3.50 AM and landed in Karachi at 5.45 AM, 1.15 hours after the departure.
The flight was scheduled to land at Doha International Airport at 7.15 AM.
According to an official statement by the airline, “Qatar Airways flight QR579 from Delhi to Doha on 21 March diverted to Karachi having declared an emergency due to the indication of smoke detected in the cargo hold. The aircraft landed safely at Karachi where it was met by emergency services and passengers disembarked orderly via stairs,”
“The incident is currently under investigation and a relief flight is being arranged to transport passengers onwards to Doha. We apologise for the inconvenience to our passengers who will be assisted with their onward travel plans,” they further added.
Sources familiar with the matter said that as the Qatar Airways flight was making an emergency landing, a flight from Doha, bound to land in Karachi, had to continue circling overhead for a while. Several other flights, including Air Lanka’s UL-183, flying to Karachi, had to wait to land due to the emergency situation.
Sources said that Airbus 150 was parked on runway no 1 of the Jinnah International Airport and its passengers were shifted to a transit lounge adding that Pakistan International Airlines’ engineers are inspecting the affected aircraft.
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