An ATR 600-72 aircraft belonging to Garuda Indonesia International Airlines, a state-owned airline of Indonesia, has been stranded at Karachi Airport for 50 days due to a technical issue.
The aircraft, with registration PK-GAD, arrived in Karachi from Sri Lanka’s Muttala Rajapaksa Airport Hambantota on July 26. Its intended destination after refueling in Karachi was the United Arab Emirates.
Aviation sources revealed that a technical fault was detected in the plane’s engine before take-off from Karachi. After initial repairs, the aircraft underwent a test flight from Karachi Airport on August 19 at 10:25 am. Unfortunately, the issue persisted despite the test flight.
Following a 21-minute test flight, the plane returned to Karachi, where Pakistani engineers were assigned to repair it. However, due to financial constraints, the Pakistani engineers have been unable to resolve the technical problem.
As a result, the nine-year-old aircraft has remained grounded at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Meanwhile, the flight crew members have returned to Indonesia.
The extended delay in resolving the technical issue has raised concerns and questions about the maintenance and repair capabilities at Karachi Airport. Efforts are ongoing to address the problem and facilitate the departure of the aircraft once it is deemed safe for flight.
