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On Tuesday, a Saudia Airlines flight originating from Bangladesh, SV 805, was compelled to execute an emergency landing at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi due to a passenger’s declining health mid-flight. The Riyadh-bound flight had taken off from the capital city of Bangladesh at 3:57 am.
In the midst of the flight over Indian airspace, a 44-year-old Bangladeshi passenger named Abu Tahir experienced a severe health downturn, marked by high blood pressure and continuous vomiting. Faced with this medical emergency, the pilot made the decision to divert the aircraft towards Mumbai and promptly sought permission from the Air Traffic Controller in Mumbai for an emergency or humanitarian landing.
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However, before the air traffic controller could grant permission, the plane had already initiated its landing approach towards Mumbai. In the course of these events, the ATC in Mumbai inquired about the nationality and other details of the ailing passenger and eventually refused to offload the Bangladeshi Muslim passenger. The reported reason for this denial was the presence of Bengali passengers on board the flight.
Upon receiving instructions from the Mumbai ATC, the pilot then contacted the Karachi Air Traffic Controller to seek approval for landing the flight in the port city. Consequently, the aircraft was directed towards Karachi and successfully landed at Jinnah International Airport at 7:28 am.
Upon landing, the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) medical team at the airport promptly implemented emergency measures, with doctors arriving to attend to the ailing passenger. The Bengali passenger received medical attention from the on-site doctor, and after a thorough check-up, the flight resumed its journey from Karachi to Riyadh.
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