Birds strike two planes at Karachi airport

On Friday morning at the Karachi Airport, two arriving and departing flights were struck by birds, while a third flight made an emergency landing due to a severe technical malfunction.

According to the spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), Turkish Airlines flight TK-709 was on the runway preparing for takeoff to Istanbul when a bird struck one of its engines. The pilot aborted the takeoff and steered the aircraft to the taxiway. Upon inspection, bird remains were found in the engine, leading to the grounding of the aircraft. Immigration and boarding of the passengers were cancelled, and they were sent home.

At around 9:15am, Saudi Airlines flight SV-701 had taken off from Karachi when the pilot received a fire signal from the engine. The pilot declared an emergency. Following instructions from air traffic control, the aircraft flew over the sea to burn excess fuel before making a safe landing back at the Karachi airport.

According to Pakistan Airport Authority officials, no evidence of fire was found in the engine upon inspection. However, for further investigation, the aircraft was grounded, and the passengers’ immigration and boarding were cancelled, and they were sent home. Saudi Airlines flight SV-701 is now scheduled to depart on Saturday. The second bird strike occurred during the landing of a private airline flight arriving from Lahore. All passengers remained safe in all three incidents.