PIA plane suffers tyre burst, all passengers safe

MULTAN: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Dubai to Multan faced a technical issue when all the tyres of the aircraft burst during takeoff. The flight, carrying 172 passengers, was forced to abort its departure due to this unexpected problem.

The Airbus A320 was accelerating on the runway when a warning of an engine malfunction was received, said the PIA spokesperson. The captain employed the emergency brake system, bringing the aircraft to a safe halt.

However, this sudden braking caused all the tyres to burst, necessitating the immediate transfer of passengers to the airport lounge for their safety.

The PIA engineering department dispatched a team from Karachi to Dubai on a flight scheduled for tonight – night between Monday and Tuesday– to address and rectify the technical fault.

In the meantime, the management of the national flag carrier has made arrangements for the affected passengers. Some of them will be accommodated on PIA flight PK 204 from Dubai to Lahore tonight, while others will be flown from Sharjah to Multan.

It is pertinent to mention here that the government of Pakistan is going to privatise PIA and in a recent development, the Privatisation Commission has extended the bidding date for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by one month, pushing it to October 31, 2024, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Following the extension, the draft agreement is now set to be signed on October 25, 2024, while the deadline for submitting advance money has been moved to October 28, 2024.

The sudden decision to extend the bidding deadline has left companies interested in PIA’s privatisation surprised.

Aviation sources warn that this extension could negatively impact the privatisation process.

The Privatisation Commission has not provided a clear explanation for the abrupt change, though advance deposits were initially due by September 27, 2024.

Despite the extension, all preparations for the bidding were reportedly in place for the original deadline of October 1.

A consortium of six private companies, including Blue World City, Air Blue, Arif Habib, Fly Jinnah, Pak Ethanol, and YB Holdings, remains in the race for PIA’s privatisation.