Crash-landed Saudi plane to be transferred to Hyderabad this week

KARACHI: The Saudi Arabian plane that crashed at the Karachi airport 13 years ago will be transported to Hyderabad through the National Highway in the wee hours on November 21.

The longest available trailer with German technology will be used by the New Babar Cargo Movers to transport the 60-tonne, 160-foot aircraft.

The aircraft would be transported from the Malir National Highway via Gharo and Thatta to the Pakistan Aviation Authority's (PAA) training facility in Hyderabad, said Project Director Munir Alam, adding the required no objection certificates (NOCs) had been acquired from the concerned authorities.

Officials said that to facilitate the transfer, the aircraft has been divided into two parts to avoid disruption to traffic during the journey. 

This will be the second aircraft to be transferred to the PAA’s training institution CATI (Civil Aviation Training Institute), as a Boeing aircraft was also transferred to Hyderabad via the motorway a few days ago.

Sources said that the chartered aircraft MD 83, prepared for the transfer to Hyderabad, had made an emergency landing at the Karachi airport on December 25, 2011, due to the nose wheel not opening, The News reported.

The aircraft, which was under the use of a Saudi Arabian prince, experienced a technical malfunction while travelling from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, to Quetta. 

After three attempts, an expert pilot safely landed the aircraft at the Karachi airport without the nose wheel being open, and 72 employees and crew members of the Saudi prince remained unharmed. 

The aircraft had been idle at the Karachi airport for nearly 13 years, and will now be used for training purposes.