IndiGo Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Karachi Due to Medical Emergency on Board
The pilot of the Airbus A320 contacted Karachi Air Traffic Control to request an emergency landing.
An IndiGo Airlines flight from New Delhi to Jeddah made an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport early Saturday morning due to a medical emergency involving a 55-year-old male passenger.
The passenger’s health deteriorated significantly while the aircraft was in Pakistani airspace, prompting the pilot to request an emergency landing from Karachi Air Traffic Control, which was granted on humanitarian grounds.
Upon landing, a medical team from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) boarded the aircraft to provide immediate assistance. The passenger was stabilized and received the necessary medication before being escorted off the plane.
Following this incident, the flight was redirected back to Delhi instead of continuing to Jeddah.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan and India do not share airspace for commercial flights due to ongoing tensions and historical conflicts between the two nations. The airspace agreement signed in 1991 aimed to prevent violations, but it has been complicated by military and political issues.
The agreement established guidelines to minimize airspace violations, allowing military aircraft to fly through each other’s airspace only with prior permission.
Pakistan has previously closed its airspace to Indian flights, notably after the February 2019 conflict, which resulted in significant rerouting and operational challenges for airlines.
While Pakistan has reopened its airspace for civilian flights, direct flights between India and Pakistan remain limited due to security concerns and diplomatic relations. Indian airlines often have to take longer routes to avoid Pakistani airspace.
