A foreign airline aircraft narrowly avoided a major accident during landing at Islamabad International Airport after approaching a closed runway, according to sources.
The development occurred when a Saudi Airlines flight arriving from Jeddah mistakenly aligned its landing approach with Runway 28 Left, which has been closed for repairs.
The incident was confirmed by aviation sources who said the matter has also been highlighted by officials of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation.
Sources said the air traffic controller intervened at the critical moment and stopped the aircraft from landing on the closed runway. Runway 28 Left at Islamabad Airport has remained shut due to ongoing maintenance work, while a NOTAM had already been issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) notifying airlines that only Runway 28 Right was operational.
According to sources, the pilot of Saudi Airlines flight SV-728, a Boeing 777 carrying hundreds of passengers, continued to insist that he was on the correct approach even after being informed by the control tower that he was aligned with the wrong runway.
Despite repeated warnings, the aircraft maintained its descent toward the closed strip.
The air traffic controller then instructed the pilot to abort the landing at the last moment and make another approach.
Had the aircraft landed on Runway 28 Left, sources said, a serious disaster could have unfolded as a large number of workers and vehicles were present on the runway at the time due to repair activities.
On its second attempt, the Saudi Airlines Boeing 777 safely landed on the operational Runway 28 Right.
The Pakistan Airports Authority spokesperson confirmed that the authority has taken notice of the incident and is reviewing all aspects of the near-miss to determine responsibility and prevent future occurrences.