GWADAR: A passenger airc­raft of Pakistan Int­erna­tional Airlines (PIA) escaped accident after it skidded off the runway while landing at Panjgur airport on Saturday.

No one was injured in the incident.

According to officials of Panjgur airport, the aircraft skidded off the runway during landing after its two tyres got deflated due to rough surface. The pilot, however, managed to control the aircraft and halted it over land near the runway.

The flight PK-517 with 43 passengers on board was coming from Karachi.

A video on social media showed panicked passengers leaving the aircraft that got stuck over the land near the runway.

Rescue workers and firefighters reached the spot for a rescue operation.

The flight operation remained suspended for quite some time at the domestic airport which also caters to a few international flights.

The plane was later removed from the area close to the runway.

A spokesman for the PIA in Karachi said that PIA President & CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik had ordered an immediate inquiry of this incident. The flight safety department had started its investigation and a report will soon be submitted to the president of the airline.

Giving details about the incident, he said the flight (PK-517), operated by ATR-72, for Karachi-Panjgur sector “safely landed at Panjgur at 0820” but skidded off the runway for “a few metres” and as a result, “two tyres got deflated due to rough surface”.

All 54 passengers safely disembarked the aircraft and there were no injuries, he added.

He said that an additional ATR carrying necessary tools and equipment was immediately prepared for Panjgur, but it got delayed due to non-clearance by the Civil Aviation Authority.

“Currently, the flight has operated and all passengers have been brought back. PIA regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers,” the spokesperson added.

Azfar-ul-Ashfaque in Karachi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2018