After the recent incident when a flight attendant of Pakistan International Airlineswent missing in Canada during the layover at the end of January 2021, the air carrier decided to adjust its internal working rules. The airline is set to implement new tighter rules under which it would control its crew movement during international layovers.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) issued new strict directives for its cabin crew members. Under the new rules, all crew members will be required to hand their passports over to the station manager at the airport as soon as they clear immigration and customs checks post-arrival in foreign countries. The passports will be returned to each crew member at the time of check-in for departing PIA’s flights.
In addition, security staff at hotels, where cabin crew members stay, would conduct checks to see if every crew member checked in on arrival. The hotel staff would inform the air carrier about any discrepancy. In addition, due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation, the mobility of cabin crew members would be also restricted, prohibiting the PIA‘s employees from leaving the hotel premises at night time.
The measures are implemented following a recent incident in Toronto, Canada. Soon after the flight PK-789 landed at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) on January 29, 2021, a flight attendant went missing. According to Pakistani media, the flight attendant boarded the PIA flight at Allama Iqbal Airport (LHE), Lahore, and disappeared straight after landing in Toronto without informing the airline seniors.
The recent incident became the fourth case in four years when PIA’s crew members go missing during international layovers.