Pakistani air traffic official saves India to Oman flight from major disaster

An air traffic controller from the Civil Aviation Authority in Pakistan on Thursday saved a plane, flying from the Indian city of Jaipur to Muscat in Oman, by guiding it through air traffic during an emergency.

According to reports, the air plane, carrying 150 passengers, was flying over the Karachi region when it was caught in the middle of a weather pattern with lots of lightning that could have resulted in a catastrophe.

Following the lightning strikes, the plane dropped down from an altitude of 36,000 feet to 34,000 feet almost immediately. As a result, the pilot initiated emergency protocol and broadcast 'Mayday' to nearby stations.

The air traffic controller from Pakistan responded to the call of the captain of the plane and directed it through the dense air traffic in the vicinity for the remainder of the journey in Pakistani airspace.

Sources in the aviation authority have said that the plane flying from Jaipur to Muscat had encountered abnormal weather conditions near the Chor area of the southern province of Sindh.

It is pertinent to mention that at least 18 people were killed in total in freak accidents as lightning struck them dead in various cities of Sindh, Geo News reported on Thursday.

Islamabad has, for more than a month, restricted access of Pakistani airspace to Indian planes to protest the curfew in occupied Kashmir. Requests by Indian PM Modi to travel over Pakistani airspace have been rejected twice recently.