Islamabad:
A major tragedy was averted today in Pakistan as a commercial flight carrying over 100 passengers avoided collision with two fighter jets before managing to making a safe landing at Quetta airport, reports in Pakistan media said.
Flight PK-368 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was close to landing at the airport in Quetta when the two fighter jets appeared, but the pilot's alacrity prevented the collision, the Dawn reported today.
The plane remained in mid-air for 30 minutes and landed only after it received clearance from airport authorities.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), however, said that no flight safety situation occurred during the landing phase of the PIA flight at Quetta International Airport.
"Both the pilots of the PAF fighter jets were in visual contact with the civil airliner and also in radio contact with Air Traffic Control Tower. As both the combat pilots were visual with the airliner thus they maintained vertical as well as lateral safe separations as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules," a PAF spokesman said.
Reports said the Air Traffic Control (ATC) also informed the pilot of the flight about the presence of PAF fighter jets at safe distance.
The plane has been taken on wet lease from Jordan and its crew is also from that country.
The situation was caused by a mistake from a radar operator at Quetta airport which is adjacent to the Samungli air force base, report said.