In an effort to break a record, Pakistan International Airways once piloted a passenger plane from Hong Kong to London by flying anticlockwise over the Pacific Ocean.Pakistan International Airways (PIA) made history in 1982 by becoming the first airline to fly a passenger plane from Hong Kong to London in the other direction (across the Pacific) in an attempt to break a record. The flight, which was captained by Shahid Hamid, departed from Hong Kong on the 2nd of December and arrived in London on the 3rd of the same month.
The flight was supposed to depart from London and head to Karachi; however, due to the poor weather conditions, the flight was rerouted to Hong Kong instead. Instead of waiting for the weather to clear up, Captain Hamid made the call to fly the jet back to London and make an emergency landing there.The jet ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing in Anchorage, Alaska, because that was the only option left.
The flight was not without incident. Nevertheless, the aircraft made it to London without incident, where it was met by a sizable gathering of people upon its arrival.This flight was a significant milestone for PIA, and it was a factor that contributed to the airline becoming more well-known.
In addition to that, it was a significant victory for Captain Hamid, who went on to become a national hero in Pakistan.