A technical fault in a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane caused disruption in several flights from Lahore to Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Karachi on Wednesday.
According to PIA officials, the fault was detected in the plane's engine before take-off and it had to be grounded for repair.
As a result, eight flights were affected by the delay, leaving hundreds of passengers, including Umrah pilgrims, stranded at Lahore Airport. Some of the passengers staged a protest against the PIA administration and demanded compensation for their inconvenience.
The affected flights included:
- Flight PK 959 from Lahore to Jeddah, which was delayed for 15 hours and departed at 11:30 pm instead of 8:30 am.
- Flight PK 759 from Lahore to Jeddah, which was delayed by one and a half hours and departed at 3:00 pm instead of 1:30 pm.
- Flight PK 263 from Lahore to Abu Dhabi, which was delayed by two and a half hours and departed at 4:00 pm instead of 1:30 pm.
- Flight PK 305 from Lahore to Karachi, which was delayed by two and a half hours and departed at 5:00 pm instead of 2:30 pm.
- Flight PK 304 from Karachi to Lahore, which was delayed for eight hours and departed at 10:00 pm instead of 2:00 pm.
- Flight PK 306 from Karachi to Liver, which was delayed for three hours and departed at 6:00 am on Thursday instead of 3:00 am.
PIA spokesperson said the technical fault was rectified as soon as possible and the passengers were provided with refreshments and accommodation. He apologized for the inconvenience caused by the delay and said that PIA was committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of its passengers.