Flight to Sharjah Narrowly Escapes Horrific Accident at Quetta Airport; Both Engines Suddenly Fail During Takeoff
Emergency Braking on Runway, Panic Among Hundreds of Passengers Including Umrah Pilgrims; Flight Cancelled; Demand for Comprehensive Investigation by Civil Aviation
QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta): An Air Arabia flight from the provincial capital Quetta to Sharjah narrowly escaped a major accident after both of its engines reportedly developed sudden technical faults during takeoff. Instead of becoming airborne after speeding down the runway, the aircraft slowed with jolts and stopped at the far end of the runway.
After the incident, the flight was cancelled and all passengers were offloaded, while the administration said the flight would now depart tomorrow morning.
According to details, on 30 October 2026, Air Arabia flight G9 567 arriving in Quetta from Sharjah reached Quetta International Airport according to its scheduled time. After disembarking passengers, the flight was to depart for Sharjah again at around 1 pm; however, during takeoff, both engines of the aircraft suddenly developed technical faults and shut down.
According to sources, the aircraft began speeding down the runway for takeoff, but at the takeoff stage the engines suddenly stopped working. Due to the engines shutting down, instead of climbing into the air, the aircraft reduced speed on the runway itself and came to a halt at the far end of the runway with jolts.
During the incident, severe fear and panic spread among the passengers on board. According to one passenger, when the aircraft was speeding down the runway and was about to take off, the engines suddenly shut down, after which the aircraft began to wobble and passengers felt severe fear. During this, passengers began reciting the Kalima Tayyaba and several individuals became extremely frightened.
Passengers said that after stopping at the far end of the runway, the aircraft remained standing there for about half an hour, after which it was brought back toward the terminal with the help of a machine. Later, all passengers were offloaded from the aircraft.
According to UNA, a large number of passengers on the affected flight were Umrah pilgrims, including especially people belonging to Zhob and Sherani districts of Balochistan. The passengers were to travel from Sharjah to the Holy Hijaz via connecting flights; however, their journey was severely affected due to the sudden technical fault in the flight.
Due to the cancellation and delay of the flight, Umrah pilgrims and other passengers are facing severe difficulties, while connecting flights from Sharjah onward for a number of passengers are also feared to be affected. Passengers demanded that the airline administration immediately provide alternative arrangements, accommodation and clear information regarding future travel.
When contacted, the Air Arabia Quetta office said that a technical fault occurred in the flight, due to which the flight could not depart today and will now be sent from Quetta to Sharjah tomorrow morning. However, the airline representative avoided providing further information regarding linking the incident on the runway to any expected accident.
Passengers said that the situation during the incident was extremely worrying and if the aircraft had gone further instead of stopping on the runway, a serious accident could have occurred. Passengers demanded that the relevant authorities conduct a complete investigation and bring out the reasons for the technical fault that occurred in the aircraft.
On the other hand, after the incident, civil aviation and airport authorities are expected to assess the aircraft’s technical condition and allow the flight to depart again only after the technical fault is rectified. Passengers have been told that the flight will now depart tomorrow morning; however, the final departure time will be subject to technical inspection and clearance of the aircraft.
Due to the incident, concern also prevailed among passengers present at Quetta Airport, while Umrah pilgrims are worried about their future travel and connecting flights from Sharjah. Passengers have demanded that the airline administration provide them timely information as well as ensure alternative arrangements in case of missing connecting flights.
