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Hajj flight turned back twice from the runway
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Passenger Amir was left behind due to a boarding confusion
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Airport officials and airline staff showed rare compassion
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Social media praises the gesture as “heartwarming and historic.”
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Amir finally joined the flight to perform Hajj
The flight was scheduled to take off from [insert airport name, e.g., Lahore or Islamabad] and was heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, carrying Pakistani pilgrims to perform Hajj.
According to reports, Amir, a middle-aged pilgrim, had completed all travel formalities but was delayed due to a miscommunication at the boarding gate. The plane had already taxied onto the runway when the issue was noticed.
Rather than leaving him behind, the flight astonishingly turned back to the terminal — not once, but twice — to retrieve Amir.
The airline crew cited “humanitarian grounds” for the rare decision. In a statement:
“Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime journey for many. We couldn’t leave a pilgrim behind when it was possible to accommodate him without major disruption.”
Passengers on the flight described the incident as emotional:
“We were surprised but then overjoyed to see Amir enter the cabin. Everyone clapped. Some even had tears in their eyes,” said a fellow pilgrim.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and an important spiritual journey that Muslims are required to perform once in their lifetime, if physically and financially able. Missing a Hajj flight could mean waiting years for another opportunity.
Some experts called it a risky but noble move:
“Turning back from the runway is highly irregular and costly, but in rare humanitarian cases, exceptions can be made if approved by air traffic control,” said an aviation analyst.
This extraordinary story reminds us that rules can sometimes be bent for the right reasons. One man’s journey could have ended at the terminal, but instead, it turned into a moment of national pride and shared humanity.
