Unable to land in Lahore due to bad weather, PIA plane enters Indian airspace

New Delhi : Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK248 entered Indian Airspace after failing to land in Lahore airport due to bad weather.

According to an Indian aviation official, "The PIA aircraft entered Indian airspace for about 11 minutes after failing to land at Lahore airport due to heavy rain." The incident was reported to Delhi Flight Information Region (FIR) on May 4 at around 08:10 pm while the PIA plane was returning from Muscat to Lahore.

"The pilot had to avoid CB clouds and wind gushes so he turned eastwards. The Lahore airport is a few miles from international borders. ATC Lahore handed the plane to Delhi FIR and after seeking permission from them it detoured from using the eastern route, avoiding the weather system altogether to head to Multan," a PIA spokesperson told ANI.

"It is not unusual in commercial aviation. Sometimes Indian carriers do the same because of bad weather after taking necessary clearance from Air Defense and ATC," Captain Amit Singh, an aviation expert told ANI.

The matter has been reported to the relevant authority in India. As the matter is related to Pakistan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided not to comment on it.