A Qatar Airways Airbus A350 flight bound for Doha was diverted to Karachi on Monday after the crew received an indication of smoke in the cargo hold.
The Airbus A350-900, with registration A7-ALZ, was operating flight QR579 from Delhi to Doha with 283 passengers and 12 crew members on board. According to Avherald, the A350 was en route at 40,000 feet about 160nm north-northwest of Karachi when the crew noticed a cargo smoke indication.
The crew then declared an emergency and decided to divert to Karachi, where the emergency services inspected the aircraft. The aircraft landed some 33 minutes later at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. Passengers disembarked the aircraft rapidly via mobile stars and were taken to the terminal. The runway at Karachi Airport was closed for around 2.5 hours.
Emergency services identified evidence of heat and fire in one of the containers. However, the actual cause of the fire is still unknown. The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan has opened an investigation into the occurrence.
“The incident is currently under investigation, and a relief flight is being arranged to transport passengers onwards to Doha. We apologize for the inconvenience to our passengers who will be assisted with their onward travel plans.”
Qatar Airways
Passengers of flight QR579 continued their journey on a replacement A350-900, with registration A7-ALK. The replacement aircraft landed in Doha as flight QR3139 with a delay of around 9 hours.
Feature Image: MZulqarnainBut1/Twitter