Canada-Bound PIA Flight Returns to Karachi After Four Hours in Flight
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight en route from Islamabad to Toronto had to turn back to Karachi after the captain detected a technical issue while flying over Russia on Friday.
The Boeing 777, carrying 268 passengers, was scheduled to depart from Islamabad International Airport at 2:15 pm on Friday but was delayed by about an hour, according to flight information.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan stated that flight PK-781 was redirected to Karachi due to a minor technical problem. The decision was made after the aircraft had been in the air for four hours over Russia.
Khan explained that despite the issue being minor, the captain opted to return to Karachi rather than continue the lengthy journey across the Atlantic.
The aircraft, registered as AP-BGZ, had previously experienced a similar issue. Returning to Karachi was considered advantageous due to the superior technical support and availability of spare parts.
Preparations were underway at Jinnah International Airport Karachi to accommodate the flight, including providing hotel accommodations for the passengers.
The flight to Toronto has been rescheduled to depart at 1 pm today (Saturday).
