Dense fog defeats modern landing system at Lahore airport

A Qatar Airlines flight from Doha was directed to Karachi while a private jet was also diverted to land in Islamabad. Both the flights were Lahore-bound however, they could not make landing due to dense fog in the city.

At the inauguration of ILS CAT-IIIB technology worth at least $ US 25 million, the authorities had claimed that the system would enable flights landing at even 50-metre visibility. It was installed in view of the fog that disrupts hundreds of flight landing at Lahore airport every year.

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had inaugurated the system on November 28.

The ILS CAT-III is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft for safe landing during conditions such as low ceiling or reduced visibility due to fog, smog, rain and other meteorological phenomena.