Islamabad

Ombudsman orders probe into alleged mismanagement at IIA

Regarding the late release and mishandling of baggage of overseas passengers

APP April 28, 2022

ISLAMABAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi while taking cognizance of complaints against management at the Islamabad International Airport regarding the late release and mishandling of baggage of overseas passengers, constituted a team of senior officers comprising Dr Inamul Haq Javed, Pervez Haleem Rajput and M Javed Chaudhary to investigate the issue.

The committee has submitted its preliminary report after listening to the complaints of the public, involving the entire process of baggage handling of overseas passengers and holding meetings with the management of the airport.

The team noted that a number of complaints of overseas passengers of five international flights coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and other countries were forced to wait for hours in getting their luggage due to the mismanagement of luggage handling staff of different companies.

The team also noted the difficulties of overseas passengers who had to wait for hours in the long queue along with their children at immigration counters. It was informed that although there were 40 counters, only 11 were operational due to a shortage of staff.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2022.

COMMENTS (1)

NASRULLAH KHAN AWAN ADVOCATE | 2 years ago | Reply I booked return ticket of my daughter and grand-daughter to travel by Saudia for ISB-JED-ISB to fly on 18-07-2022 at 10 20 am. When I dropped them at 08 30 am at the Benazir International Airport and went to Rawalpindi for court duty at 09 30 am I received a call the flight is delayed by two hours due to some technical problem. Then again I was conveyed that flight is further late by two hours. After that the team at work announced at 14 00 pm that the flight is cancelled. The passengers were panic to hear such an unpleasant news rather they were inflicted with emotional distress mental agony multiple disturbance wastage of time and monetary losses altogether. In short the airline crew disappeared and the airline ground staff displayed very lethargic and obnoxious attitude towards the passengers. By the intervention of passengers water was supplied after six hours of miserable discomfort. After eight long hours of unrest the passengers of flight SV727 were pushed in the 1901 model buses to escort for third class hotels in the Rawalpindi city area. The rooms were so dirty and unclean that they were spreading foul smell everywhere of the hotel named Elegant Hotel Rawalpindi. No food was served and a lot of passengers flee from the hotel and arranged their own places to stay at night because the flight SV727 was rescheduled as SV3727 at 09 00 am next morning i.e. 24 hours later. There are a lot of questions of law which have to be staged and demanded answers along with compensation to the affected passengers. There are passengers whose Iqama expired sick and ailed passengers suffered at extreme. Childern women and oldmen were found in destructive condition among the laughing ground staff of the airlines. Could you please investigate the matter and provide relief to the victims of this flight SV727 and compensate adequately so that the continuity of justice could be safeguarded. CELL 03345085128

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