Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) narrowly avoided a major accident when one of its planes experienced an engine malfunction and all its tyres burst while aborting takeoff at Dubai International Airport. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, was carrying 172 passengers from Dubai to Multan, according to Ary News.
Fortunately, all passengers were safely evacuated. A PIA spokesperson reported that the malfunction warning came as the plane was accelerating on the runway. The captain immediately activated the emergency brake system, safely halting the aircraft, but the sudden stop caused all the tyres to burst.
Flight rescheduled
PIA’s engineering department sent a team from Karachi to Dubai early Tuesday to address the technical issue. The airline also rescheduled flights for the affected passengers, with some flying to Lahore on PIA flight PK 204 and others departing from Sharjah to Multan.
This incident follows a similar one two days earlier, when a PIA flight from Muscat to Peshawar was diverted to Karachi due to a hydraulic failure.
Pakistan International Airlines’ debt
PIA is currently burdened with approximately $2.9 billion in debt, despite receiving multiple government bailout packages in recent years. The government is working to privatise the struggling airline, with six bidders pre-qualified for the sale.
However, the process has faced numerous delays, including an extension for deposit deadlines to October 1, which, according to aviation sources, could hamper the privatisation effort, Ary News reported.
Privatisation of PIA aligns with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recommendation that Pakistan sell off loss-making state-owned enterprises to stabilise its economy.
Recent technical failures have raised concerns about the airline’s ability to regain public trust, as it continues to be a significant financial burden on the national exchequer.