Sick passenger prompts Dhaka-bound flight to land in Karachi

• Dhaka-bound flight permitted for emergency landing.
• Flight took off after 6am taking body to Bangladesh.
• Passenger’s health condition deteriorated in flight.

KARACHI: A sick passenger travelling to Dhaka was pronounced dead on Monday after the foreign airline made an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. 

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson said the Sharjah-Dhaka flight was granted permission for medical emergency landing upon deterioration of the passenger’s health condition.

A doctor pronounced the 42-year-old Bangladeshi passenger dead after checkup, the spokesperson said, adding the flight took off for Bangladesh after 6am taking the dead body.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) sources told Geo News that the flight number G-9512 landed at the airport after permission from the air traffic controller (ATC) Karachi. The plane was travelling from Sharjah to Dhaka.

The PCAA spokesperson said the body was handed over to the airline after completion of the medico-legal formalities.

A similar incident took place on February 20 when a Saudia Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing in the port city after its Riyadh-bound flight from Dhaka saw a passenger's health deteriorate during the flight.

Sources had told Geo News that the Saudia flight, SV 805, departed from the Bangladesh capital city at 3:57am and was flying above the Indian airspace when the health of one of its passengers, a 44-year-old Bangladeshi citizen, worsened.

The condition of Abu Tahir, the Bengali passenger, was bad as he suffered from high blood pressure and kept vomiting, airline sources said.

Following the passenger's health, the pilot diverted the aircraft towards Mumbai and sought permission from the air traffic controller in Mumbai for a humanitarian landing.

The ATC asked about the nationality and other details of the affected person and refused to offload the Bangladeshi Muslim passenger.

The Saudi plane was refused entry into the Indian territory, citing the presence of Bengali passengers who were on board the flight.

After receiving instructions from the Mumbai ATC, the pilot sought permission from the Karachi ATC to land the flight in the port city after which the aircraft was flown towards Karachi and touched down at the Jinnah International Airport at 7:28am.

The Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) medical team took emergency measures at the airport with doctors arriving to treat the patient as soon as the plane landed.

The Bengali passenger on board the plane was examined by the doctor present at the spot who provided medical aid to him. Following the check-up, the plane flew to Riyadh from Karachi.