JEDDAH — A Saudi Arabian Airlines jet made an unscheduled landing in Pakistan after its captain suffered health problems on a flight from India to Jeddah, the Saudi Press Agency said on Friday.
"The captain of the Airbus A330 suffered a health condition that called for his assistant to take over the plane," SPA said, citing an airline source.
It said the co-pilot arranged for a landing in Karachi, where a doctor could assess his colleague.
"The co-pilot landed the plane normally, and the captain was medically checked. The doctor transferred him to hospital for the necessary treatment," the source said, without elaborating on the medical problem.
Flight SV891 had originated in Lucknow, India, on Thursday en route to Jeddah.
The captain experienced health problems around two and a half hours after the plane took off from Lucknow.
A special Saudia flight left Jeddah at 9 p.m. Thursday to bring the stranded passengers from Karachi.
A substitute pilot, co-pilot and cabin crew were on board, who will fly the original aircraft back to Jeddah without passengers, the source added.
