PIA Flight Overcomes Mid-Flight Emergency, Lands Safely in Dubai

Dubai: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight en route from Karachi to Dubai successfully landed after facing a mid-flight emergency. The Airbus A320, flight PK213, departed Karachi at 2:05 am and encountered distress while flying over the Muscat region about an hour into the journey.

The aircraft, cruising at 36,000 feet, suddenly descended to 10,000 feet in just six minutes, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency at 3:08 am, according to a PIA spokesperson. The issue stemmed from a severe hydraulic system malfunction, leading the pilot to seek assistance from Muscat air traffic control.

Despite the harrowing situation, the pilot, whose name was not disclosed, managed to fix the hydraulic system mid-flight. Although an emergency landing in Muscat was initially considered, the pilot was able to safely navigate the aircraft to Dubai, maintaining a low altitude of 10,000 feet for 50 minutes.

The plane underwent inspection upon arrival at Dubai airport and was cleared for its subsequent flights to Islamabad and Skardu.

PIA officials attributed the incident to operational challenges linked to the ongoing shortage of aircraft within the airline.