PIA Boeing 777 Diverts To Karachi With Cracked Cockpit Window

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-240ER was flying to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday when its crew members diverted the flight to Karachi. A cracked side window in the cockpit was the cause of the unexpected diversion.

Passengers were delayed during their flight with PIA on Friday following a diversion to Pakistan’s busiest airport. Photo: Getty Images

A change of plan

Registration AP-BHX was conducting flight PK-9753 on December 17th. The Aviation Herald reports that as the widebody was en route to the capital of Saudi Arabia at FL360, it diverted as it was about to enter Iranian Airspace at Zahedan.

The crew of the 777 decided to head to Karachi’s Jinnah International. Therefore, after heading southeast, the plane landed at the airport’s runway 07R after approximately 65 minutes.

The 777, holding 35296/613, took off from Islamabad (ISB) at 06:09 PKT and landed at Karachi (KHI) at 08:57 PKT. Photo: RadarBox.com

Back in the skies

According to RadarBox.com, the same 777 departed for Riyadh the same evening at 17:40 PKT. The aircraft then landed in Saudi Arabia at 18:48 AST. Altogether, the jet remained on the ground in Pakistan for approximately nine hours before attempting the journey again and landing Riyadh 10:45 hours late.

PIA was able to continue the journey to Riyadh because the 777’s cockpit side window was replaced. This move allowed the plane to return to service.

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A look at the current setup

The airline has a mixed fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. It holds six B777-200ERs, two B777-200ERs, and four B777-300ERs. According to ch-aviation, seven out of the 12 units are currently active.

Over the years, PIA has been entrusting the Boeing 777 on long-haul missions across the continents. Photo: Getty Images

The 777 is currently the carrier’s most prevalent widebody, with one other double-aisle unit, an A330-200 operated by Jordan Aviation, part of the fleet. In the short and medium-haul spectrum, the airline holds 12 A320-200s, four ATR42-500s, and four ATR72-500 to bring the total of planes across PIA’s facilities to 33.

PIA will undoubtedly be hoping to cut down on incidents with its operations, such as what occurred this week heading into the new year. 2022 is set to be an important period for the airline. After pausing the issuance of pilots licenses due to a crucial audit, Pakistan’s civil aviation regulator is anticipating the resumption of licensing pilots early next year.

Nonetheless, the crew operating the 777 flight yesterday will be glad that it managed to avoid danger and land safely without any injuries to those on board the aircraft. Moreover, despite the delay, the plane made it to its intended destination the same day. 

Simple Flying reached out to Pakistan International Airlines to find out more about this Boeing 777 incident. We will update the article with any further comments and updates from the carrier.

Altogether, what are your thoughts about this Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200 diverting to Karachi because of a cracked side window in the cockpit? What do you make of the overall situation this week? Let us know what you think of the event in the comment section.

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