A file photo of Islamabad International Airport. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has rejected reports that a near-disaster at Islamabad International Airport was averted, clarifying that a recent incident involving a foreign airline flight was nothing more than a routine aviation procedure, carried out according to global safety standards.
The clarification comes after several media outlets had claimed that a catastrophe was narrowly averted when a flight, travelling from Jeddah to Islamabad, was stopped from landing on a closed runway at the last moment.
The aircraft eventually touched down at 5:13pm, over an hour later than its scheduled arrival of 4:05pm, according to flight-tracking service flightradar24.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the PAA explained that the event was being misconstrued. “The recent go-around at Islamabad International Airport involving the flight was a standard and internationally practised safety measure, executed precisely as per established protocols,” it said.
It pointed out that such manoeuvres were part of the everyday toolkit of global aviation. A go-around, defined by the United States Federal Aviation Administration as a “safe, routine manoeuvre” that interrupts the landing approach so the aircraft can return to a stable altitude and make another attempt, was used in this case.
“Go-arounds are common, non-emergency procedures carried out to ensure the highest level of operational safety,” the statement read.
The authority urged news organisations to exercise restraint when framing aviation developments.
“Sensational reporting may unintentionally create unnecessary concern among the travelling public and lead to misunderstandings about normal aviation practices,” the statement noted. It called on media houses to “avoid presenting routine aviation procedures in a sensational manner”.
