Pakistan's national airline, PIA, has taken action against a crew member following an incident where she was briefly detained by Canadian customs alongside two colleagues. The reason for their detention was the possession of a passport belonging to someone else, as reported by media outlets.
This development adds to the challenges faced by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as it deals with a shortage of crew members, compounded by recent incidents of flight attendants going missing.
The crew member in question, Hina Sani, was among those detained during the incident, which occurred on flight PK-789 from Lahore to Toronto. However, after investigations, all three crew members were released and permitted to return to Pakistan.
In response to the incident, PIA management has suspended Sani pending further action in accordance with the outcome of the Canadian authorities' investigation. It's important to note that carrying someone else's passport while traveling abroad violates international laws.
Abdullah Hafeez Khan, a spokesman for PIA, stated that the airline is actively cooperating with Canadian authorities in the matter. He emphasized that the suspended crew member will face both departmental and legal consequences based on the findings of the Canadian investigation.
Furthermore, the spokesman confirmed that the three female crew members, including Sani, who were detained and subsequently released, are scheduled to return to Pakistan imminently.
This incident follows a recent case where another PIA crew member, Maryam Raza, disappeared upon landing in Canada while on duty. PIA has reported that over the past year and a half, at least eight flight attendants have gone missing, with suspicions that they have sought asylum in Canada.
PIA spokesman Khan revealed that these occurrences of flight attendants seeking asylum have been happening for the past decade, but the frequency has increased notably since October 2022. He highlighted this trend during an interview with CTV News, underscoring the seriousness of the issue faced by the airline.
