Amid reports of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crew “disappearances” in Canada, the state-run carrier on Sunday released a statement denying the viral social media post, claiming they were “fake news” circulated by “anti-Pakistan quarters”.
The airline’s spokesperson emphasised that all crew members of the concerned flight are accounted for and safe, and that the circulation of such rumours has no basis in fact.
‘Information circulated by anti-Pakistan quarters’
According to PIA, the misinformation had been circulated by an “Afghan and anti-Pakistan account” to create unnecessary panic among passengers and the airline’s followers.
“A tweet, circulated by certain anti-Pakistan quarters, claiming that [the] whole crew of a particular PIA flight is missing, is entirely baseless,” the flag carrier said in a post on X, adding that the purpose was to “malign PIA and Pakistan”.
“There has been no such incident, and the news is fake,” it added.
“We want to reassure our passengers, stakeholders, and the general public that all our operations are running normally, and our crew members are safe and accounted for,” the airline said in a press release.
Missing PIA crew cases reported in the past too
Missing PIA crew members, particularly in Canada, have been reported in the past, as well, according to Dawn.
On November 21, a PIA flight attendant reportedly went missing in Canada, prompting the airline to launch an inquiry into his disappearance. As per PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the attendant did not report for flight PK-798 from Toronto to Lahore.
“When contacted, he cited ill health as an excuse,” the spokesperson said, adding that the matter is being investigated. “In case of illegal disappearance, departmental action will be initiated against the flight attendant,” the spokesperson added.
In another case, a cabin crew member was reportedly gone missing while on duty in October last year. The missing crew member, based in Islamabad, had disappeared during a layover in Toronto.
Similarly, a 47-year-old PIA steward was reportedly gone missing in Canada in March 2024. In February 2024, another member of the airline’s cabin crew was reported missing while on duty, Dawn reported.