A foreign airline’s aircraft narrowly escaped an accident at Islamabad Airport.
According to local media, Saudi Airlines flight number 728 had arrived from Jeddah to Islamabad, and during landing, the pilot mistakenly lined up for Runway 28 Left instead of Runway 28 Right.
It should be noted that runway 28 Left is closed due to maintenance.
The PAA had issued a NOTAM stating that Runway 28 Left is closed and Runway 28 Right is open; however, the pilot kept insisting that he was on the correct runway.
Reports say that the air traffic controller in the control tower informed the pilot in time that he was approaching the wrong runway and instructed him to discontinue the landing and go around.
Following the instructions, the pilot executed a go-around and kept the aircraft airborne while setting up another approach. On the second attempt, the Saudi Airlines Boeing 777 landed safely on Runway 28 Right.
According to sources, when the aircraft made its approach toward the closed Runway 28 Left, a large number of people and vehicles were present there, and landing on the wrong runway could have resulted in a serious accident. The aircraft was carrying hundreds of passengers. A PAA spokesperson has confirmed that the Pakistan Airports Authority has taken notice of the incident.
