Passengers in Chitral
September 08, 2006
Two PAF C-130s were scheduled to arrive here within fifteen minutes of each other. One was hired by PIA and the other was on a PAF pilot-training mission. When they encountered cloudy weather on route, the C-130 with passengers decided not to continue the flight but the one on the training mission landed safely in Chitral.
While the C-130 which landed at Chitral merrily continued its circuit and landings over the airport, the stranded passengers started questioning the airport authorities of what prevented the empty C-130 which was to take them to Peshawar considering that their flight had been diverted and there was no difference between the configurations of both aircrafts.
A message was passed to the pilot through the control tower. He said he would be glad to help provided he got orders to the effect from PAF. This news was quickly passed down to the travelling public and their awaiting relatives. A lot of excitement ensued. The only audible answers from un-moved PIA personnel at the airport was "We are coordinating … we are coordinating". This went on for nearly an hour.
Then, to their utter bewilderment, the passengers (some of them lying on stretchers) suddenly saw the empty C-130 roar over their heads and vanish into the horizon.
Only PIA and the PAF can explain the rest of the story. Better informed people said that PIA was not willing to hire the available C-130, while PAF was not willing to take passengers on its empty aircraft unless someone paid for the fuel which it was going to burn in any case. And whose fuel? The only sufferers were the passengers left behind at Chitral airport.
Sirajul Mulk
Chitral
While the C-130 which landed at Chitral merrily continued its circuit and landings over the airport, the stranded passengers started questioning the airport authorities of what prevented the empty C-130 which was to take them to Peshawar considering that their flight had been diverted and there was no difference between the configurations of both aircrafts.
A message was passed to the pilot through the control tower. He said he would be glad to help provided he got orders to the effect from PAF. This news was quickly passed down to the travelling public and their awaiting relatives. A lot of excitement ensued. The only audible answers from un-moved PIA personnel at the airport was "We are coordinating … we are coordinating". This went on for nearly an hour.
Then, to their utter bewilderment, the passengers (some of them lying on stretchers) suddenly saw the empty C-130 roar over their heads and vanish into the horizon.
Only PIA and the PAF can explain the rest of the story. Better informed people said that PIA was not willing to hire the available C-130, while PAF was not willing to take passengers on its empty aircraft unless someone paid for the fuel which it was going to burn in any case. And whose fuel? The only sufferers were the passengers left behind at Chitral airport.
Sirajul Mulk
Chitral
