A flydubai plane en route to Colombo from Dubai made an emergency landing in Karachi on Wednesday due to a medical emergency onboard, an airline spokesperson has confirmed to Khaleej Times.
In a statement sent on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Dubai-based carrier said: “flydubai flight FZ 569 from Dubai International (DXB) to Colombo International Airport (CMB) on July 10 diverted to Karachi International Airport (KHI) due to a medical emergency onboard and was given priority to land.
“Passengers were provided with refreshments and continued their journey with a total delay of eight hours,” added the spokesperson, underscoring: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers’ travel plans.”
No further details were given by flydubai about the medical emergency.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Meanwhile, Saifullah Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, said in a separate statement the medical emergency was about a Sri Lankan woman who fell ill.
Khan said FZ flight 569 was en route to Colombo from Dubai and the plane landed at 11pm [Pakistan time on Wednesday] in Karachi. He did not provide details about the age and medical condition of the passenger, but added the woman eventually expired.
“Her body was sent to Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation in Malir and the flydubai plane left at 3am [on Thursday]. The remains of the woman were flown to Sri Lanka on another flight,” Khan added.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, also told Pakistani media that the “Sri Lankan woman aboard the plane was examined by a medical team and declared dead, after which the body was taken off the plane. No other passenger got off the plane.”