Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday issued a statement denying that the entire crew of a PIA flight disappeared in Toronto, Canada, adding that it was “fake news” circulated by “anti-Pakistan quarters”.
“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.
Meanwhile, a PIA spokesperson issued a separate statement also denying the news, claiming that the information had been circulated by an “Afghan and anti-Pakistan account”.
“The misleading tweet is part of a well-conceived plan based on hostility towards Pakistan and is aimed at damaging the reputation of the national airline and the country,” the spokesperson said, clarifying that the news held no truth.
Missing PIA crew members, particularly in Canada, have been reported in the past, too.
On November 21, a PIA flight attendant reportedly went missing in Canada, prompting the airline to launch an inquiry into his disappearance.
According to 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.”
Last year in October, a cabin crew member was reportedly gone missing while on duty. 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. The member had arrived in Toronto on PIA flight PK-782 from Islamabad but failed to report for duty on the return flight, PK-784 to Karachi.
