Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-701 from Islamabad to Manchester declared an emergency around 30 minutes before landing in Manchester due to a medical emergency on board.
The pilots declared the emergency after a passenger became unwell during the flight and required urgent medical assistance.
At around 7:52 pm Pakistan time, the aircraft was flying over the North Sea when the pilots issued emergency squawk code 7700. The aircraft remained under the emergency code until it landed at Manchester Airport approximately 30 minutes later, allowing it to receive priority clearance for landing.
After the aircraft landed at Manchester Airport, emergency services and paramedics boarded the plane and immediately provided medical assistance to the affected passenger.
Meanwhile, the British Royal Air Force dismissed rumours circulating on social media that the PIA flight had been escorted by a fighter jet.
Despite attempts to contact the relevant authorities regarding the matter, no official comment was provided by the spokesperson.
Earlier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) made a major decision for passengers planning to travel from Pakistan to London.
The airline decided to operate daily flights to London, with five flights departing from Islamabad and two from Lahore every week.
PIA will operate these seven weekly flights following the return of its London slots from Turkish Airlines.
After a six-year gap, PIA resumed flights to London on March 30, allowing passengers to travel directly between Pakistan and the UK once again.
Previously, PIA had been forced to give up landing rights at Heathrow Airport. In 2022, the airline allocated seven of its slots to two foreign carriers, handing six to Turkish Airlines and one to Kuwait Airways for a period of six months. This change came after the European Union imposed a ban on PIA flights, where the national carrier was asked to enter into agreements with foreign airlines to retain its Heathrow slots rather than risk losing them permanently.