A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight bound for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing at the international airport here on Sunday due to a 'technical fault' soon after taking off.
According to initial reports, flight PK-759 was forced to land at Allama Iqbal International Airport after the plane's main engine caught fire owing to short-circuiting of wires, The Express Tribune reported.
However, a PIA spokesperson rejected these reports and said the plane was called back due to a "technical fault."
"There is a stark difference in there actually being a fire or a malfunction in the fire warning system. There was no fire. The plane took off at 9:30 am but was called back over a technical fault," the airlines' spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told the Pakist media outlet.
Over 200 passengers were on board the plane when the incident took place and all of them escaped unhurt.
The spokesperson said that passengers were brought to the airport lounge and provided all the necessary facilities.
At around 12:30 pm, the passengers embarked on an alternate flight and left for Jeddah soon after.
A similar incident involving Pakistan's national carrier took place in July when flight PK-604 from Islamabad made a landing at Gilgit airport when the plane skidded off the runway. All 48 passengers escaped unhurt in that incident.
( With inputs from ANI )