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MY NEW YEAR DAY ON PLANE- An Air show and Chaos
(Exclusive to Sada-e-Watan By Dr Farah Adeeb, Perth)
There are lots of things we do spontaneously in life. Sometimes they turn out to be good and sometimes they end up in hard luck. My decision to travel to Lahore on New Year day was just taken at the spur of the moment. It was late November, when I booked the ticket on-line for Lahore via Dubai.
Inspecting my boarding pass on the Emirates flight from Perth to Dubai, the smiling flight attendant asked, “Holidays?”
“Kind of”, I replied
I found my economy-class spot, sat quietly in the allotted aisle seat and started looking at the entertainment program. I had to spend at least 11 hours in this flight from Perth to Dubai, a transit of 10 hours at Dubai and then boarding for Lahore in the early hours of Saturday with an expected arrival around 7.30 a.m. at Lahore airport.
Flight from Perth to Dubai was a smooth one and I was totally engrossed in watching Bollywood movies, the ones I had intended to watch for a long time. Passenger next to me was a minor and was travelling to India on School holidays. He provided me good tips on Bollywood movies and what to watch and what not to watch. To me a movie with a good story, a cast and less singing and dancing is a great time killer on a long flight like this one.
After disembarking at Dubai airport, I proceeded to the passport control desk to clear immigration. I was provided with passenger service coupon for transit at Dubai and complimentary services and stay at Le Meridien Dubai hotel.
Finding hotel transportation desk for Emirates transit passengers was an uphill task for me as it was my first time at Dubai airport. The more I asked people for directions, the more I got confused. Eventually it was a grey-haired short gentleman who provided me with clear directions as who should I contact for transport arrangement. My frustration ended once I arrived at the magnificent Le Meridien Dubai hotel. At the hotel reception, I was informed by young receptionist that I will be provided with lunch and a special fruit basket.
“Oh Waoo, a fruit basket on New Year day...not a bad start to the year”...I told myself
I checked out of the hotel around mid-night so that I could be at the Dubai airport at least 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure of my next flight to Lahore. A few hours later, the smiling flight attendant was again inspecting my boarding pass on the Emirates flight, but this time from Dubai to Lahore.
The composition of the passengers on this flight was very different from the last one. 99% of the passengers on this plane were of Pakistani origin, which have travelled to Dubai from all over the World. More than half of the passengers were Hajjis who were returning to Lahore after performing Hajj.
Plane was flying at an altitude of 40, 000 ft and I was watching the Air Show on the screen. Lahore airport was only 30 minutes away and thoughts of seeing my friends and relatives made me really excited. Distance was lessening and so was the time to Lahore from Dubai. And then all of a sudden I noted a change in the flight trajectory on the screen.
Gosh...Why the plane is changing its direction to Karachi? First I asked myself and then soon raised it with other passengers around me. Now everybody started looking at the Air Show which was clearly showing that the plane is flying from Dubai to Karachi.
“Where is this plane going?” someone asked the flight attendant
“May be to Karachi or to Lahore but I better check it with the pilot” Flight attendant responded
Next 15 minutes there was a pin drop silence in the plane with everybody staring at the screen and not knowing what is going on. Has the plane been high jacked....I was thinking. If so why is pilot not saying anything?
Then an announcement was eventually made by the co-pilot that due to bad weather and low visibility , Pilot was unable to land at the Lahore airport and now we will disembark at Karachi airport. We hoped that we get a connecting flight from Karachi to Lahore fairly soon.
Before landing at Karachi airport, no one predicted the mala drama which consumed our next three and half hours on Saturday, the 2nd January. The airport staff at Karachi airport did not allow passengers from Emirates flight to leave the airport. They wanted plane to be returning back to Dubai and then fly for Lahore. Passengers were shouting and extremely frustrated. There were number of voices
“I have to catch another plane”
“My mum died and I have to attend her funeral”
“I have been on plane for the last 36 hours and I am very tired”
“I can’t take it any more”
“I have only three days to spend at Lahore before departing to New Delhi” and so on.
Everyone had a valid reason to depart at Karachi airport.
The standoff between passengers and the airport staff lasted for more than three hours and decision was eventually made to take the plane back to Dubai and then try for Lahore again.
After heated discussions and amid frustration, the Emirates flight ultimately left for Dubai. I was looking at the Air Show again but this time with a different destination. Every 15 minutes or so I walked around the cabin for a few minutes. After crossing the Arabian Sea the flight arrived at Dubai airport once again.
After refuelling and with fresh supply of food, plane left for Lahore after an hour of stay at Dubai. The Air Show once again got attention of everyone in the plane. Distance between Dubai to Lahore was decreasing gradually and so was the time for the destination. About 15 minutes prior to arrival to Lahore we heard an unexpected announcement. It was the pilot saying “I have some bad news for you. Due to bad visibility the Lahore airport has been shut down and I will now seek permission to land at Islamabad airport”. There was change in the flight trajectory once again but soon it appeared that the destination was Karachi not Islamabad.
Passengers were shouting “We are not going to Dubai again on the same flight. Please let us disembark at Karachi airport”.
Pilot informed that after consultation with senior airline management it was decided that passengers and airline crew will transit overnight at PC Hotel Karachi and will leave for Lahore around midday on Sunday (3rd January). We had no choice but to accept this decision, otherwise we knew that we will be taken back to Dubai third time on the same day. And so on Sunday plane left for Lahore around 2 p.m. and this time everybody was praying loudly for its safe landing at Lahore airport.
Amid the lovely sound of claps, destination was 2 minutes away and thankfully flight trajectory was still showing Lahore as the destination.
Being in the plane for more than 36 hours, I was somewhere exposed to all sorts of cold and flu bugs and I knew first thing to do in Lahore was to get to a pharmacist!!!!
