Pakistan to transfer another abandoned plane by road
A long-abandoned aircraft that made
an emergency crash landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in 2011
has embarked on a unique journey by road to Hyderabad, where it will serve as a
teaching aid at the Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI), according to a
Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson.
The 40-ton MD-83 plane, registered
as SU-BOZ, was operated by AMC Airlines and carried 74 passengers from Tabuk,
Saudi Arabia, to Quetta, Pakistan, when it was forced to land in Karachi on
December 25, 2011. The emergency landing, caused by a failure of the nose
landing gear, was widely documented on social media. Footage showed the
aircraft skidding on its belly as smoke billowed from the runway. Remarkably,
no injuries were reported.
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After years of abandonment, the PAA
decided to repurpose the plane for training future aviation professionals. The
transport operation began at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday, with the aircraft
traveling from Karachi along the National Highway to its destination in
Hyderabad. The route passes through several densely populated areas of Karachi,
including Steel Town and Bin Qasim Town.
“This aircraft is being transferred
to the Civil Aviation Training Institute in Hyderabad to support aviation
training,” said PAA spokesperson Saifullah.
This marks the second such road trip
of a decommissioned plane in recent weeks. In October, a retired Boeing 737 was
similarly transported from Karachi to Hyderabad, drawing significant media
attention across Pakistan.
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The abandoned aircraft’s repurposing
underscores a practical approach to utilizing aviation resources for
educational purposes, providing hands-on learning opportunities for future
aviation professionals.
Source: Arab
News