RAHIM YAR KHAN: Umrah pilgrims have not yet received their luggage even after 13 days of their return due to poor coordination between Saudi Arabian Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Five passengers from Rahim Yar Khan Muhammad Amjad, Muhammad Ameer, Hamza Awab, Farah Batool and Irfanul Haq travelled on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-550 on July 11 from Jeddah to Dubai and then from Dubai to Karachi on PIA flight PK-214 the next day.

PIA official blames poor coordination with Saudi airlines

But since the flight from Jeddah was delayed for six hours, the passengers were sent on the PIA flight onwards to Karachi without their luggage.

On reaching Karachi, the passengers were told by PIA staff that their baggage had not been transferred to PIA from the Saudi Arabian Airlines at Dubai airport. The passengers were issued Property Irregularity Report of their luggage in exchange of their baggage tags and were told their luggage would be delivered to the Shaikh Zayed International Airport in Rahim Yar Khan in two or three days.

When the passengers contacted the manager of PIA baggage department in Karachi, Mrs Niazi, she referred them to baggage manager Yasir Qayyum who told them their luggage had been sent back to Jeddah from Dubai due to lack of coordination between the two airlines.

Qayyum further said the PIA staff was sending a request daily to Saudi Arabian Airlines through the World Tracing System for delivery of the luggage, but they were not clear when the luggage would arrive at Karachi airport.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016