PIA crew of Manchester-bound flight briefly refuses to fly in protest

Crew protests against detainment of colleagues who were held for bringing 5,000 pounds, 21 iPhone 6 sets from London


Web Desk September 21, 2014

LAHORE: The pilot and cockpit crew of a Manchester-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight on Sunday briefly walked out of the plane, refusing to fly in protest against detainment of their colleagues, Express News reported.

The flight PK-709 from Lahore was ready for take-off, when the pilot and cockpit crew refused to fly the aircraft.

Earlier today, the crew of PIA flight PK-758 from London was held after mobile phones and foreign currency worth millions of rupees were recovered from them.

Pakistan Customs officials recovered 5,000 pounds and 21 sets of iPhone 6 from the possession of Captain Amir Hashmi and his crew.

As a form of protest and in support of their fellow pilots and crew, the PK-709 crew refused to fly urging PIA to resolve the issue with customs. However, the crew decided to fly out after customs officials briefed them about rules for cabin crew and passengers.

Customs maintains that the same rules of bringing in foreign currency and items apply for PIA crew as for passengers.

It is reported that the crew members of flight PK-758 had changed their duties to attend the launch of Apple's iPhone 6 and buy the latest model in bulk.

COMMENTS (30)

Muhammad Ali | 9 years ago | Reply

There is one major deficiency in our country; justice not prevails. This is a major attraction for many to indulge in crimes & make illegal money. look at the every sector of society, you will see criminals all around; even Imam Masjid too.

Amir | 9 years ago | Reply

Back in the 80s, one PIA captain was famous to have smuggled heroine to different countries, and later he had created a large group of industries based on this wealth.

So this is not new, has been going on for years. Just this time, as we are all looking at the negaative side, the crew did not grease the palm of the custom official genrously...

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