RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan Intern­ational Airlines (PIA) flight steward went missing from his hotel after arriving in Toronto, Canada.

According to sources, Waqar Ahmad Jadoon performed his duties at PIA flight PK-781 which carried passengers from Islamabad to Toronto. He was staying with other crew members at a hotel in the city when he went missing.

The disappearance came to light when the senior staff of the airline tried to contact him in the hotel as he was scheduled to travel to Islamabad on the return flight on Jan 23.

Immediately after Mr Jadoon went missing, the PIA station manager and the headquarters were informed, and subsequently, the matter was reported to the local police. A PIA spokesman confirmed that the Canada border security agency and the police were informed about the missing staffer. He, however, said that the passport of the flight steward was lying with the PIA station manager in Toronto.

The spokesman said his indemnity was also lying with PIA and departmental proceedings will be initiated against him which may result in his termination from service.

The cabin crew members, according to SOPs, are required to deposit their passports with the station manager after immigration clearance and customs formalities. Their passports are returned at the time of check-in on departing flights.

The cabin crew members are instructed to restrict their movement due to the pandemic and no one is allowed to stay out of the hotel premises at night.

Four such cases in which PIA crew members, including an airhostess, went missing after landing in Canada have come to light over the past two and a half years. Earlier on Feb 1 last year, a flight steward of PIA reportedly went missing in Canada soon after the airline’s flight PK-798 landed in Toronto.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2022