In an incident that unfolded on Saturday, an IndiGo flight traveling from Amritsar to Ahmedabad inadvertently entered Pakistani airspace for approximately thirty minutes. The occurrence, attributed to adverse weather conditions, took place around 7:30 pm when the aircraft veered off course and flew towards Gujranwala, a city near Lahore. Fortunately, the flight subsequently redirected back to Indian airspace at 8:01 pm, as reported by local media sources.
According to an article published by the Pakistani publication Dawn, citing flight radar data, the Indian carrier had ventured into the northern region of Lahore with a ground speed of 454 knots. A representative from the Civil Aviation Authority clarified that such deviations were permitted internationally during unfavorable weather circumstances. Additionally, due to “poor visibility,” several flights bound for Lahore were diverted to Islamabad on the same day.
The incursion occurred amid heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms, which battered various parts of Pakistan during the Saturday evening hours. Unfortunately, the severe weather conditions claimed several lives in the neighboring districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Consequently, authorities have declared an emergency in four districts of northwest Pakistan.
Data retrieved from flight tracking websites revealed that the IndiGo flight had deviated from its intended route shortly after taking off from Amritsar at 7:45 pm. The aircraft traversed over Gujranwala, forming a wide loop around Lahore, before eventually reentering Indian airspace near the city of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab.
IndiGo, one of India’s leading airlines, has not released an official statement regarding the incident at the time of this report. However, it is expected that an investigation will be conducted to evaluate the circumstances that led to the aircraft straying into Pakistani airspace.
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