The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday denied media reports alleging that an accident was averted at the Islamabad airport as a foreign carrier narrowly avoided landing on a closed runway, saying that it was “standard and internationally practised safety measure”.

The statement came after multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday that flight SV278 — operated by Saudia Airlines from Jeddah to Islamabad — narrowly avoided a “major disaster” as the air traffic controller timely prevented the pilot from landing the plane on the wrong runway.

The flight was scheduled to arrive at the airport at 4:05pm, but landed with a delay of more than an hour at 5:13pm, according to the tracker flightradar24.

In a statement issued today, the PAA said, “The recent go-around at Islamabad International Airport involving flight SV728 was a standard and internationally practised safety measure, executed precisely as per established protocols.”

A go-around is a “safe, routine manoeuvre” that discontinues the landing approach and returns the aircraft to an altitude and configuration for another safe attempt, according to the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration.

“Go-arounds are common, non-emergency procedures carried out to ensure the highest level of operational safety,” it explained.

In its statement, the PAA requested media outlets to “avoid presenting routine aviation procedures in a sensational manner”.

“Sensational reporting may unintentionally create unnecessary concern among the travelling public and lead to misunderstandings about normal aviation practices,” the authority cautioned.

It affirmed that the PAA “values the media’s role as an important partner in keeping the public informed and encourages continued responsible reporting based on verified information”.

“PAA remains committed to transparency and to maintaining the highest safety standards across all airports in Pakistan,” it added.