RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant reportedly vanished in Canada shortly after appearing for immigration at Toronto airport in the third such instance this year, despite measures taken by the airline to prevent such occurrences.

The airline’s management launched an inquiry into the disappearance of steward Aijaz Ali Shah who went from Islamabad to Toronto on PK-781 flight on October 14 and was scheduled to return to Islamabad on PK-782, but was not part of the crew when the flight returned.

Subsequently, the airline’s investigators debriefed the rest of the crew upon their return to determine the circumstances in which the steward went missing.

The PIA management, meanwhile, also informed Canadian immigration authorities of the ‘missing’ crewmember who failed to join his colleagues before the flight returned to Islamabad.

Canadian authorities informed of the third such disappearance this year; inquiry launched

Mr Shah, a resident of Bahria Town, Rawalpindi, had joined the national flag carrier 20 years ago.

Upon reaching the airport, according to sources, Mr Shah quickly moved towards the Canadian immigration counter because he was the first person in the row but he then disappeared as none of the crewmembers could find him again at the airport. Shortly after the steward went missing from the airport, they said the remaining crewmembers of the flight waited for him for about two hours in their bus besides looking for him at the airport.

“Even the PIA station manager at Toronto attempted to contact him on his cell phone, but his efforts proved unproductive,” sources said.

This was not the first such disappearance of a PIA crewmember, as an airhostess and a steward on international flights had previously gone missing after reaching Canada.

Earlier in January, a flight steward on PK-781 flight went missing in Canada soon after landing at Toronto. An airhostess of the national flag carrier also disappeared on reaching Canada this year.

A PIA spokesman said the management had started an inquiry into the disappearance after the latest incident was reported.

The Canadian border security was also informed by the PIA station manager regarding the incident, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022