A Qatar Airways flight from Delhi to Doha, with over 100 passengers, was diverted to Pakistan’s Karachi on Monday morning after it declared an emergency due to indication of smoke in the cargo hold, the airline said. The aircraft landed safely in Karachi where it was met by emergency services and passengers were disembarked, Qatar Airways said.
A passenger on the flight shared details of the harrowing time he, his family and other flyers are facing. Vikrum Pasricha is travelling from Delhi to Doha with his wife and their one-year-old daughter. He said the flight landed in Karachi at around 5:30 am on Monday. The passengers were asked to get off the plane and were sent to the transit lounge of the Jinnah International Airport.
“No water / food / information for three hours. Only after passengers raised it with airport staff, was food, chai water provided. Senior citizens, infants on this flight. No food/water/ information available at will,” he told Moneycontrol in a text message.
He added that passengers are not being given complimentary WiFi services to get in touch with family back home. “Only local PAK numbers can access WiFi. Passengers not being able to communicate, get or give information,” he said.
A relative of the family back home in Delhi tweeted SOS messages, seeking information.
“No information being offered, no food or water being offered to passengers. Customer care is clueless,” Dr Sameer Gupta tweeted.
@qatarairways - what is the status of QR579 - Delhi —>Doha, Diverted to Karachi.No information being offered, no food or water being offered to passengers. Customer care is clueless.
Please help @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia @Chaiti @malhotravineet7 @soniandtv
— Dr. Sameer Gupta (@SGuptaMD) March 21, 2022
The Qatar Airways flight landed safely in Karachi where it was met by emergency services and passengers disembarked in an orderly manner by stairs, the airline said.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reacted to complaints saying he will look into it. A short while later, Scindia tweeted that the passengers have been served meals at the Karachi airport and that a replacement aircraft from Qatar has been arranged.
The flight was diverted due to a technical issue in the cargo hold.Passengers are in transit area & have been served meals. A replacement aircraft from Qatar has been arranged.
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) March 21, 2022
“Now we have information after about after five and a half hours,” Pasricha said. “They are saying 12:45 pm , 1 pm, 2 pm (for the replacement flight)… so still no concrete time.”
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