LAHORE: Flights on the main runway of the Lahore airport could not be resumed on Wednesday even after 30 hours or so to the despair of thousands of passengers of international destinations as the authorities have yet to remove an aircraft that ran out of the runway on Tuesday.

Shaheen Airlines’ plane skidded off the runway at the Allama Iqbal International Airport upon landing on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to close the airport for flight operations.

A ‘standby’ runway also remained closed for a few hours on Wednesday after a London-to-Lahore PIA plane’s tire malfunction upon landing.

The last two weeks of December have seen cancellation of flights due to bad weather. Wednesday was yet another bad day for passengers or to those who were at the airport to receive someone.

Frustrated passengers were seen exchange harsh words with the officials of airlines at their counters over delay, cancellation and diversion of the flights.

“On asking why my flight to Karachi is delayed, a PIA official said the main runway is closed as the authorities are trying hard to remove the plane skidded off there,” said Nadeem Danish. “But the PIA will use the standby runway for departure to Karachi. Later, I was told that the second runway is closed temporarily because another plane has developed a fault. Finally, the national flag carrier cancelled the flight for the reason best known to it.”

Muhammad Khan with women family members was at the airport to receive his parents who were returning from Jeddah. But they were frustrated knowing that the PIA had diverted the flight to Sialkot because of the closure of the main runway.

“Earlier, security men stopped us at the entrance and I had to beg them to allow us to receive our parents. Now, the PIA says it has diverted the flight to Sialkot. My parents are illiterate and they may face a lot of problem in Sialkot. I’ve asked my cousin in Daska to receive my parents,” said Khan Muhammad said who live in Sheikhupura.

A PIA spokesman told Dawn that it diverted three international flights arriving here from New York, Paris/Milan and Jeddah to Karachi, Islamabad and Sialkot.

“Our two flights to Karachi and Islamabad were also cancelled today,” he said. “The PIA has been facing problems for the last two days as its planes are not landing here because of the closure of the main runway.”

He said the standby runway could was closed for a couple of hours because a wheel of the PIA plane was jammed upon landing.

The Shaheen Airline which was to bring equipment to remove its aircraft from the main runway has sought the help of the PIA.

“The equipment and technicians have arrived here from Karachi and they are working to clear the runway,” a CAA spokesman said, and added it was hoped the teams would soon get the job done.

When asked why the CAA did not have the equipment at the Lahore airport, he said: “It is the duty of the airline in question to remove its plane while the CAA provides logistic support.”

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2015