PIA flight from Karachi to Peshawar cleared after bomb hoax

Published April 22, 2019
Security and bomb disposal squad officials combed through the plane after landing and cleared it for further service. — Photo: Cristian Storto/Shutterstock.com
Security and bomb disposal squad officials combed through the plane after landing and cleared it for further service. — Photo: Cristian Storto/Shutterstock.com

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight was cleared by security officials at Peshawar airport after a hoax bomb alert, a spokesperson for the national carrier said.

The flight, PK-350, was en route to Peshawar from Karachi when the flight dispatch centre in Karachi received a phone call alerting about the presence of a bomb onboard the plane 10-15 minutes before landing.

The Airbus A320 aircraft safely landed at Peshawar airport at around 11:50am, PIA spokesman Mashhood Tajwar told DawnNewsTV.

Since the pilots had alerted the control tower about the bomb threat, an emergency was declared at the airport, a source at the facility said.

The plane was parked at the end of the runway and the passengers were all made to disembark and their luggage was handed over to them.

Security and bomb disposal squad officials then combed through the plane.

"Nothing suspicious was found and later the aircraft was cleared by the concerned agencies and declared fit to fly," the PIA spokesperson added.

The plane departed for its next flight to Dubai at around 3:45pm after a delay of about two and a half hours.


With additional reporting by Sirajuddin in Peshawar.

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