Cracks have appeared in a secondary runway at the Islamabad Airport International Airport, forcing the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to close the take-off and landing of planes, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

The Runway No 28-R has been damaged in the recent rains and is currently being repaired. However, it will be used for taxiing the planes only during the repair process.

According to sources, cracks have surfaced in the secondary runway in the past too since the airport’s inauguration three years ago.

On the other hand, the airport manager said the runway was closed for finding a permanent solution to the problem.

The secondary runway — a parallel taxi track of the green-field airport — had previously caved in in April 2019.

Earlier, the CAA Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy had ordered an inquiry into the leakage at the airport, which caused parts of its false ceiling to have collapsed on Aug 14.

The orders came as the faulty construction of the airport was exposed once again as the false ceilings collapsed during a heavy rain.

In this connection, a video of the falling ceilings of the international departure and domestic departure lounges went viral on social media.

Soon after the falling of false ceilings, the rainwater entered the lounges amid piles of fallen ceiling panels. Later, the authorities closed the area by cordoning if off.

According to reports, no one was injured in the incident and there was also no disruption in the service.

Aviation Division spokesman Senior Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar told newsmen that it was an extraordinary 56mm rain which fell in a short span of time.

"The design of the outer ceilings is such that it allows for entry and circulation of air in areas where there is no air-conditioning. During high-speed winds, we sometimes encounter with such a situation. We are trying to rectify the position with the help of the engineering directorate of the CAA," Khokhar added.

It may be mentioned here that an inquiry into the faulty construction of the Islamabad International Airport has been going on for the last two years.

Passenger dies of heart attack 

A passenger, who was set to fly to Karachi from Islamabad International airport, breathed his last due to heart attack on Thursday.
INP quoting sources reported that the passenger was identified as Sher Ahmed, who reached Islamabad Airport along with his family for travelling to Karachi.
He was rushed to Trauma Medical Centre, where a doctor pronounced him dead.