Delhi-bound aircraft lands in Lahore

E-Paper | June 08, 2026

LAHORE: A Delhi-bound Qatar Airways cargo flight from Doha landed at Lahore airport for refuelling on Saturday after its pilot was told by Indian authorities to stay in the air till clearance of the runway.

A Civil Aviation Authority official told Dawn that the pilot requested the CAA for permission to land at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, which was allowed.

He said the Delhi airport authorities had told the pilot to stay in the air till the runway was cleared for landing because it was busy for other flights. He said the plane did not have enough fuel, therefore the pilot made a request to land in Lahore. It left for Delhi after refuelling.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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hasan

Jun 14, 2015 08:39am

So what's the big deal about it. Why is it newsworthy. This is standard aviation practice.

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hasan

Jun 14, 2015 08:42am

I travel extensively in North America. I have experienced this situation many times where an aircraft has to make an unscheduled stop foe refueling.

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rana1

Jun 14, 2015 09:04am

So delhi airport is the only airport in India?

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Syed ahmed

Jun 14, 2015 09:08am

After all we are human.

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Deepak

Jun 14, 2015 09:11am

It's shame that we don't have regular regular flights between India and Pakistan. Other than the Korea there are no other countries in the world that do not run flights between neighboring countries. Israel and Palestine don't need flights as one end of Israel to the other end of Palestine is driving distance.

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Hope

Jun 14, 2015 09:13am

Bravo, the understanding and humanitarian face of Pakistani/ Can't be said that Indians are as hospitable like that.

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Hope

Jun 14, 2015 09:14am

Bravo, the understanding and humanitarian face of Pakistanis.

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Rick_james

Jun 14, 2015 09:21am

Thank you Pakistan for the kind gesture.

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owais

Jun 14, 2015 09:22am

NO PROBLEM!! BUT THAT WAS STUPID OF THEM TO STAY IN AIR. the wise pilot did well, it could have been so different and difficult to save himself and other passengers.

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stice

Jun 14, 2015 09:25am

Good gesture to allow plane to land.

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Pakistani

Jun 14, 2015 09:35am

Pakistan has always been positive and tolerant towards India. India should realize this.

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Sandhu

Jun 14, 2015 10:21am

India should thanks to Pakistan on it.

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puja

Jun 14, 2015 10:33am

Truely Delhi air port is very busy.Though infrastructure is world class but number of flight is too high.

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Rob

Jun 14, 2015 10:33am

Good, Pak airport made some profit due to this.

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Lokesh

Jun 14, 2015 10:33am

good neighbor act... India should officially thank for this.

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bkt

Jun 14, 2015 10:35am

Isn't Delhi quite far away from Lahore?

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Kamran

Jun 14, 2015 11:24am

hahah, I almost laugh!

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Indian Mumbai

Jun 14, 2015 11:34am

@hasan Name Delhi is there. You see! :P

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Donald Duncan

Jun 14, 2015 11:40am

What Indian would have done in such case? Arrest everyone on the plane and put them in jail for few months, empty the cargo. However, I think Pakistanis operate on much humane ground.

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Sheraz

Jun 14, 2015 11:50am

I wonder how many times Pakistan will come to rescue India!! Be it a case of rescuing Indians from Yemen or this case...We all know that how such goodwill gestures from Pakistan are reciprocated..Shame on India!!

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Tariq Shah

Jun 14, 2015 12:03pm

Shows the ineptness of the Indian airport....that's why its newsworthy. Its an International flight for heavens sake.

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N b

Jun 14, 2015 12:14pm

@hasan It is newsworthy. It highlights the fact that many airports like Delhi schedules flights beyond their practical capacity and force the aircraft to burn more fuel by circling above airport. This practice must be stopped. Thank God that Lahore had spare capacity to help this flight land to collect fuel.

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Saeed Ahmed

Jun 14, 2015 12:48pm

BFD. A very normal occurrence in civil aviation.

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deva

Jun 14, 2015 12:58pm

@hasan agree, but i think its indian bound plane landed in lahore for refuel. and pak allows that

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Syed

Jun 14, 2015 01:35pm

Its an international Aviation Law, and all airline have to abide by it.Its natural , so dont bother this is good for humanity

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Ghalib

Jun 14, 2015 01:41pm

We help India bound planes and they keep our Passengers locked up in planes on Delhi airport

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Amir Mahmood

Jun 14, 2015 01:51pm

Does not make sense why the plane was not given preference by Dehli? what if no airports were around? Short distance flight have not enough fuel?

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Irfan Baloch

Jun 14, 2015 02:02pm

@HASAN Indians would have made a big deal out of it . surrounding it and making a political and media circus.

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awais

Jun 14, 2015 02:17pm

it's not a news. it is just a routine matter of aviation.

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timetostopthis

Jun 14, 2015 02:48pm

Now ofcourse we can expect to see comments on how Pakistan did India a big favour by allowing this plane to land. No one did the Indians any favours as this is standard practice.

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timetostopthis

Jun 14, 2015 02:50pm

@Ghalib You didn't do the Indians any favours by allowing it to land. This is part of your international obligation to the aviation authorities.

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Guru

Jun 14, 2015 02:55pm

@Irfan Baloch Qatar has another option of declaring fuel emergency & going to the front of the landing queue. Wonder why the captain did not do that?

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citizen

Jun 14, 2015 03:10pm

Hope there is no conspiracy involved in this event.....

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k.Jatt

Jun 14, 2015 03:11pm

what a stupide Air lines, can not check fuel .How good and safe this Air line will be. It was not flying Lahore to Latin America. Just few hundred Kms.More over this was an Qatar Airways not Indian air lines so nothing to do with India just it was flying to New Delhi

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Gabriel Dracula

Jun 14, 2015 03:12pm

Reading the pakistani comments,pakistanis have matured very much.they can be so proud of change.

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Imran

Jun 14, 2015 04:02pm

The Indian authorities should have delayed the flight take off right from the Qatar and adjust the timing accordingly. Such a scenario could have proved disastrous.

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Sajid Ghafoor

Jun 14, 2015 04:38pm

Pakistan will always say welcome to India in future.

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lafanga

Jun 14, 2015 04:43pm

Commercial planes always fly with one hour extra fuel or whatever it takes to reach the nearest airport if the intended destination airport is closed due to weather or some other reason. Delhi airport wasn't closed as such, they were just waiting for the runway to be "cleared". If there is a delay, airports always give priority to any planes who need to land quicker than other planes. Landing in Lahore doesn't make any sense.

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Ayesha

Jun 14, 2015 05:34pm

Lahore is some miles away from India. The plane could have landed in any of Indian punjab cargo airport.

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sri1

Jun 14, 2015 05:47pm

@Ghalib "We help India bound planes and they keep our Passengers locked up in planes on Delhi airport" What perspective. When Indian bound plane lands in Pak, India should thank Pak for their hospitality. When Pak bound plane lands in India and India plays by its laws and international conventions of treating Pakistanis, then it is in the wrong. Very expressive.

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IReddy USA

Jun 14, 2015 05:48pm

@Sandhu fools! India has nothing to do with it. It is a Qatar flight.

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Naxalite

Jun 14, 2015 06:10pm

Welcome to Lahore!

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Shahid

Jun 14, 2015 06:19pm

First of all it is a bit strange that the aircraft didn't have enough fuel, as it only flew from Doha. Normally there is enough fuel capacity in it to fly another two to three hours. Secondly there is no news in it as cargo flight and it is not an indian aircraft. It is a friendly nations plane.

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natey

Jun 14, 2015 06:20pm

dont forget the pia plane that landed in delhi few months ago..they didnt allow the passengers to off plane..n stay inside for few hours..trapped..hungry..

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chandresh

Jun 14, 2015 06:21pm

Yes but what is the news??? This happens everywhere in the world. It was civilian aircraft not a fighter jet of india. Every country has to follow international aviation rules and airport authorities are abide by giving permission.

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Adnan Anwar

Jun 14, 2015 06:26pm

So India has only one airport which is in New Delhi?

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JAYANT OSWAL

Jun 14, 2015 06:35pm

Bro remember this was not an Indian plane, the plane was owned and operated by Qatar Airlines. So it was their call and not India's. What pakistan civil authorities did is just a normal practice followed by all the countries. If at all you have done any favour then it is to the Qatar Airlines and not to Indians.

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Maryam

Jun 14, 2015 07:09pm

I wonder if sane Indians ever feel shame on these kind gestures from Pakistan where on the other hand Indians lock our passengers empty cargo and do all shameful things without any reason!

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Maryam

Jun 14, 2015 07:12pm

@JAYANT OSWAL Yes but just see next time when any private airline plane bound for Pakistan makes request for landing at India! Indians certainly don't have that big heart as Pakistanis have!

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Jun 14, 2015 07:21pm

@owais cargo plane and not passenger.

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OmarFL

Jun 14, 2015 07:23pm

I'm a Pakistani and I am no India lover. But guys; all those who are asking India to thank Pakistan; this is standard procedure. No big deal. Besides, this was a Qatar Airways plane not Air India. Why should India thank Pakistan?

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Jun 14, 2015 07:25pm

@bkt good point. At least one and half hours distance. Question is why land in Pakistan?

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Vijay

Jun 14, 2015 07:29pm

Not enough fuel in the plane? I thought this happened to Air India and PIA planes only.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Jun 14, 2015 08:12pm

Although it was a standard procedure and norm in the world of civil aviation but what made it news worthy stems from the fact that Qatar Airways plane was not allowed to land at its original destination as scheduled by the Indians. Therefore working on a contingency plan, the flight captain was left with no other option but to look for the best possible alternative which was eventually executed upon.

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awais

Jun 14, 2015 08:15pm

it is a standard procedure in civil aviation... nothing unusual

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Brar

Jun 14, 2015 08:37pm

@rana1 Yes now we will try to construct one more. There is Amritsar airport, Chandigarh Airport near Dehli why he opted is not under stood. There is an other airport in Dehli Safadarjung airport.

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Brar

Jun 14, 2015 08:42pm

@Sheraz This was not Indian plan and secondaly there many airports around Dehli , he could have landed in Amrritsar or Chandigarh, why he opted for Lahore I fail to under stand.

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Zak

Jun 14, 2015 08:53pm

Incompetent indian civil aviation, they should have first asked how long could this aircrafts stay in the air, and given it priority landing due to shortage of fuel.

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asad

Jun 14, 2015 09:05pm

@Deepak ,Its interesting you give example of Israel/Palestine "driving distance". Maybe you are not aware of 15 ft high concrete barrier and heavily armed checkpoints.Its definitely not your sunday drive!

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Qadair

Jun 14, 2015 09:50pm

Everyone's forgetting but similar incidence happened with the same Qatar airlines that was suppose to land in Lahore but landed in Delhi instead due to shortage of fuel this just happened 2 months ago .. Qatar airways need to do a better job fueling it's aircraft with a little bit of more reserve fuel in it's fuel tanks Incase of unexpected headwinds or ground emergency .

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Fact Finder

Jun 14, 2015 09:55pm

@owais It was a cargo plane and it is standard operating procedure. Do people even read the article properly before shooting their mouths off in the comment section?

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surinder

Jun 14, 2015 11:13pm

@Sandhu ; it is international law to land any air craft nearest air port !!!!!!

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surinder

Jun 14, 2015 11:16pm

@bkt 250 miles

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G. Din

Jun 14, 2015 11:56pm

No favour to India. The plane belongs to Qatar. Planes having to circle till they can land is not an extraordinary case; it happens everyday.

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Rahul

Jun 15, 2015 12:25am

The plane could have landed at Amritsar International airport which only few kilometres from Lahore. I don't know why they didn't?

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Tom

Jun 15, 2015 12:32am

@Tariq Shah It means that there are many many flights to New Delhi. It was a traffic jam of sorts.!!!

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Fawad

Jun 15, 2015 02:00am

@puja if it can not handle the situation like this then how is it world class, their must be a contingency plan in place for such situations.. any way we are always ready to help..

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Fawad

Jun 15, 2015 02:03am

@Ghalib brother they will act as per their nature and we as per ours..nothing new..

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KNS

Jun 15, 2015 03:19am

Flaw of airport administration

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Confused

Jun 15, 2015 03:48am

@puja The number of flights is even higher than the number of flights in and out of Chicago, London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, ....., is it ? Mate they need to improve infrastructure.

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Pramod

Jun 15, 2015 03:55am

@Hope Whats big deal . it should news also. its a regular practice. through out the world.

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Adeeb

Jun 15, 2015 04:01am

It might be a standard aviation practice but what make it news because it happens between the two neighboring enemies.

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Sukhera

Jun 15, 2015 04:39am

@Pakistani The aircraft belong to Qatar airways. Pakistan has very good relations with Qatar and thousands of Pakistanis live and work in the country. Qatar airways serves many cities of Pakistan so does the PIA in Qatar. So it was not a favor to India. Generally, the airports give priority to planes low on fuel or having other emergency issues. Why indian aviation authorities did not allow the pilot to land when he was running low on fuel and could not wait in the air. This seems very strange but we have not heard the Indian side of the story.I am sure New Delhi airport has many runways to accomodate international and domestic flights. It takes only couple of minutes for the plane to land and clear`the runway.

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naveen

Jun 15, 2015 08:38am

@OmarFL India should thank Lahore airport authorities for basic courtesy, I am an Indian.

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asghar

Jun 15, 2015 04:55pm

Pakistan has always been positive and tolerant towards the world. How bad does pakistan needs to prove this point that these news finds into national media.

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Bad shah Khan

Jun 15, 2015 06:36pm

Guys its a CARGO plane......no pessanger on board, so what is humanitarian about IT !!!!

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Jay

Jun 15, 2015 07:15pm

@Hope thanks for Pakistan's help...

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