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PIA Flight Operations Department
officer Qaiser Ansari at Lahore Airport in 1971. In the
background is burned-out wreckage of Indian Airlines Fokker F27
Friendship Mark 100 (registration VT-DMA) named "Ganga". On
January 30, 1971, VT-DMA with 32 people onboard - 28 passengers
and 4 crew members - was operating flight from Srinagar to Jammu
when after take-off from Srinagar it was hijacked by two men,
armed with a pistol and hand grenade, and diverted to Lahore
Airport where it remained parked for three days. On February 1,
all 26
passengers and 4 crew members were released and sent by road to
Amritsar, India. The Fokker was set on fire and destroyed on
February 2. After this incident India banned
all Pakistani civilian and military aircraft from overflying
Indian territory. This Indian decision forced PIA aircraft to take
longer route via Colombo, Sri Lanka, for flights between West
and East Pakistan. PIA flights between West Pakistan and Far
East were also rerouted via Colombo |
