
IndiGo Airlines, operating a flight from Amritsar to Ahmedabad, encountered adverse weather conditions that caused the aircraft to inadvertently stray into Pakistani airspace near Lahore before returning to Indian airspace. The incident took place on Saturday, as reported by Pakistan's local media outlet Dawn. As per flight radar data, the Indian plane entered the airspace north of Lahore at approximately 7:30 pm It then proceeded further into Pakistani territory, reaching Gujranwala, before finally returning to Indian airspace around 8:01 pm.The aircraft maintained a ground speed of 454 knots during this time.
A senior official from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) mentioned that such occurrences were not uncommon, as international regulations allow aircraft to deviate from their intended flight path in the event of adverse weather conditions.
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The CAA acknowledged that the situation was a result of the challenging weather and did not raise any concerns.
In response to the prevailing poor visibility caused by the weather conditions, several flights had to be diverted or experienced delays.The CAA spokesperson informed that the weather warning for Lahore had been extended until 11:30 pm on Saturday, as the visibility at Allama Iqbal International Airport was recorded to be 5,000 metres.
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A number of flights scheduled to arrive in Lahore had to be diverted to alternative airports due to the poor visibility conditions.A PIA flight from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad was diverted to Multan, and a Jeddah-Lahore flight also had to land in Multan.
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Dawn reported that several flights faced delays due to the prevailing weather conditions. PIA flights from Lahore to Madina and Karachi to Lahore, as well as an Etihad flight from Lahore to Abu Dhabi, experienced delays as a result of the challenging visibility conditions.
The CAA's extension of the weather warning, along with the flight diversions and delays, aimed to prioritize the safety of passengers and aircraft amidst adverse weather conditions.
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