PIA crew detained for smuggling

KARACHI: Officials at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were left red-faced on Monday after British authorities detained at least five of its crew members for questioning on suspicion of smuggling mobile phones and other unspecified illegal items.

Before the PIA flight PK-788 could take off from London for Karachi on Monday morning, the 14-member crew was stopped and its entire luggage was checked. Five air hostesses and stewards were later questioned. However, the rest of the crew was allowed to operate the flight.

No one from the UK Customs that carried out the search was available to share details.

PIA spokesman Aamir Memon said he was unable to say why the staff had been detained in Britain. “But they will be coming back on a flight to Lahore tomorrow (Tuesday).”

Contradicting television reports, he said no foreign currency or mobile phones intended for smuggling had been found in possession of the staff.  “It was a routine check, which UK Customs has been carrying out on multiple airlines,” said Memon. “Unfortunately, none of that gets reported.”

However, he wasn’t able to identify the instances when cabin crew or pilots of other airlines were detained or arrested. There have been several cases in which PIA workers have been caught smuggling drugs, cigarettes, mobile phones and illegal passports.

Just recently Shaukat Cheema, a senior flight steward, was jailed for five years by a British court for attempting to smuggle fake passports. “We are all wondering what pushed him to do such a thing. He was earning good money, his family lives in the UK already and he was due for retirement next year,” said a colleague. Captain Amir Hashmi, the president of Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA), says he has written to the management twice, stressing the urgency of dealing with these matters.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.