PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Tells Obese Cabin Crew Trim Weight Or Get Sucked

Currently, flight attendants, who are 13.6 kgs over are still eligible for flight duty.

Pakistan’s flag carrier PIA has asked some of its cabin crew with “excess weight” to shed some kilos within six months or risk being grounded, in a bid to make them “slim, smart and fit”, a media report said.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also issued a suggested weight chart for differing height and body types.

Those already “on weight check” need to report monthly to a “grooming cell” to receive clearance to fly, it said.

The carrier’s general manager of flight services Aamir Bashir issued an order on the first day of 2019, saying official excess weight limits would be cut back by five pounds (2.26 kgs) a month, the report said.

In a memo distributed to approximately 1,800 cabin crew, PIA said they must trim down or face being grounded, the report said.

The airline said it is cracking down on what it terms the “excess weight” of some of its cabin crew.

Currently, flight attendants, who are 13.6 kgs over are still eligible for flight duty, the report said.

According to the airline’s weight chart, for a “medium-frame” woman of 5 feet 7 inches height, for example, the guide is 60-66 kgs.

“Weight check of all the cabin crew will be carried out at their base stations respectively and comprehensive data will be maintained for perusal of management,” the news report quoted the memo as saying.

Around 100 more than five per cent of the crew would need to lose weight by July 1 to avoid grounding, Mashhood Tajwar, a PIA spokesman was quoted as saying in the report.

He described the crackdown on overweight flight crew as a “regular, routine matter,” and suggested that the memo was issued as standards for weight had lapsed over time.

It was issued to ensure that the flight attendants were “slim, smart and fit”, Tajwar said.

No one would like to have shabby crew in the aircraft, he said, adding that PIA had received complaints about “obese” flight attendants.

Tajwar said the initiative was put in place for reasons of appearance and health, and insisted that PIA was not alone in insisting their cabin crews hit weight targets, the report added.

PIA has been in losses for years but successive governments have failed to improve its financial situation.

Its accumulated losses surged to Rs360 billion (Dh9.49 billion) by the end of June last year, which, according to the finance ministry, speaks volumes about the persistently deteriorating performance of the carrier.


Tourism Observer

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Moves 85 Flight Attendants From Karachi To Islamabad

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), transferred 85 flight attendants from Karachi to Islamabad.

PIA administration, in a notification, directed concerned stewards and stewardesses to report to Base In-charge Flight Services in Islamabad for further assignment of duties within six days following the recent transfers.

The notification stated that special allowances will be given to the flight attendants for transportation as married officials will get a one-month allowance and unmarried personnel will be provided 15 days allowance besides provision of free air passage including their families, if married.

For the transportation of baggage, married officials can carry up to 273 kilograms while unmarried attendants can take away 182 kilograms if travelling by air.

The officials will be allowed to take 1119 kilograms baggage if travelling through surface transportation while unmarried personnel will be allowed to carry up to 746 kilograms.

On April 15, the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) had decided to launch action against facilitators of crew members deployed abroad in contravention of stipulated rules.


Tourism Observer

NEPAL: Nepal Based Airlines Banned From Flying In European Union Airspace

A plane crash at Nepals international airport that killed 51 people happened because the captain suffered an emotional breakdown, a leaked draft of the official investigation has found.

Investigators said the captain, Abid Sultan, wept during the flight after his skills had been questioned by a co-worker.

This mistrust and stress led him to continuously smoke in the cockpit and also suffer an emotional breakdown several times during the flight, their report said.

The 12 March flight from the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka crash landed at Kathmandu airport and skidded into a football field where it burst into flames, killing 51 people in the deadliest aviation accident in the Himalayan nation for decades.

The captains constant monologue led to the total disorientation of the co-pilot, who was flying the plane when it crashed. Prithula Rashid had only recently qualified and had never previously landed at Kathmandu airport.

The draft copy of the final investigation report concluded the US-Bangla Airlines captain was under stress and emotionally disturbed after a co-worker had questioned his reputation as a good instructor.

During the short flight, Sultan a former Bangladesh air force pilot who was also an instructor for the airline talked non-stop as he tried to impress upon the junior co-pilot his competence and proficiency.

Nepals only international airport lies in a narrow bowl-shaped valley with the Himalayas to the north, making it a notoriously challenging place to land.

As the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop approached the runway it made a last-minute change of direction, failed to sufficiently reduce its speed and necessary landing checks were not carried out, investigators said.

The report revised the final death toll up to 51, including both pilots. Twenty passengers miraculously escaped the burning wreckage but sustained serious injuries.

Conflicting reports emerged shortly after the crash suggesting confusion between the pilot and air traffic control might have caused the disaster.

The report said air traffic control did confuse the two ends of the runway referred to as Runway 02 and Runway 20 but concluded this had no impact on the flight.

A source at Nepals tourism ministry, which led the investigation into the crash, confirmed the authenticity of the draft.

The accident was Nepals deadliest since September 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it crashed as it approached Kathmandu airport.

Just two months earlier a Thai Airways aircraft had crashed near the same airport, killing 113 people.

Nepals poor air safety record is largely blamed on inadequate maintenance and sub-standard management.

Accidents are common and Nepal-based airlines are banned from flying in European Union airspace.

Rescuers pulled bodies from the charred wreckage of the plane, operated by Bangladeshi airline US-Bangla, after a raging fire was put out.

The airline has blamed air traffic control, but the airport says the plane approached from the wrong direction.

Flight BS211 veered off the runway while landing on Monday afternoon.

The exact cause of the crash remains unclear and Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli promised an immediate investigation.

However, a recording of the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control minutes before the plane crashed suggests some misunderstanding over which end of the sole runway the plane was cleared to land on.

Moments before the plane crash-landed, an air traffic controller is heard in the recording from air traffic monitor LiveATC telling the pilot: "I say again, turn!"

Twenty-two people were treated in hospital for injuries, police spokesperson Manoj Neupane said.

The plane, which was flying from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop and was 17 years old.

The plane landed at 14:20 local time (08:35 GMT).

The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway flying over Koteshwor, but it landed from the northern side, Sanjiv Gautam, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said.

However, US-Bangla Airlines chief executive Imran Asif blamed Kathmandu air traffic control.

There were wrong directions from the tower. Our pilot was not at fault, he told reporters at his office in Dhaka.

Our pilot is an instructor of this Bombardier aircraft. His flight hours are over 5,000. There was a fumble from the control tower.

Airport general manager Raj Kumar Chettri said that the plane hit the airport fence before touching ground.

The plane should have come from the right direction, he said.

One of the survivors, Nepalese travel agent Basanta Bohora, described from his hospital bed what he had experienced.

After a normal take-off from Dhaka, the plane had begun to behave strangely as it approached Kathmandu, he said.

All of a sudden the plane shook violently and there was a loud bang afterwards.

I was seated near the window and was able to break out of the window, he added.

I have no recollection after I got out of the plane, someone took me to Sinamangal hospital, and from there my friends brought me to Norvic hospital. I have injuries to my head and legs, but I am fortunate that I survived.

The plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew.

It is now known that 33 of the passengers were Nepalis, 32 were Bangladeshi, one was Chinese and one was from the Maldives.

Among the 22 people injured, some are in a critical condition.

An airline worker said he saw two or three people fall or jump from the windows of the burning plane.

Its airline companies are banned from flying within the European Union.

There have been many aviation incidents in Nepal, but this is the deadliest since a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach in September 1992, killing all 167 on board.

Earlier that same year, a Thai Airways plane crashed near the airport, leaving 113 people dead.

Pilots say that landing at Kathmandu airport can be challenging because of the mountainous landscape.

Aviation incidents in Nepal include:

February 2016: Twenty-three people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed in mountainous western Nepal

March 2015: Lucky escape for passengers after plane skids off runway in fog in Kathmandu

February 2014: Bodies of all 18 people recovered after small plane crashes in western Nepal

September 2012: Plane heading for Everest region crashes on the outskirts of Kathmandu, killing all 19 on board

May 2012: Fifteen people die when a plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashes in northern Nepal

September 2010: Sightseeing flight crashes into a hillside near Kathmandu

September 2006: All 24 people on board a WWF helicopter die when it crashes in eastern Nepal

What is US-Bangla airlines?

The carrier launched in July 2014 and its slogan is "Fly Fast, Fly Safe".

Its first international flight was in May 2016 - to Kathmandu.

It now flies to airports in South and South East Asia and the Middle East.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Dubai Court Sentences Passenger, PIA Suspends Flights To Kuwait And Salalah

Dubai’s Criminal Court has sentenced an Australian transit passenger to six months in prison plus deportation after he was convicted of assaulting a Dubai airport policeman.

The ruling was passed on January 28 after the court heard how the 53-year-old Australian man was transiting from London to Sydney via Dubai on July 25, 2017, according to local media.

A technical issue delayed the flight, resulting in passengers being deboarded after four hours waiting on the plane, which was due to take off at 8.30am.

Passengers were offered a hotel stay near Dubai International Airport.

When requested to have his luggage searched by customs inspectors, the man refused to place his luggage in the scanning device and became angry.

The airport police were called who tried to convince the defendant to have his bags searched.

He repeatedly refused and shouted at an Emirati corporal, claiming he had been on a long flight.

This prompted a request from customs officials for the policeman to handcuff him.

The man violently resisted and the two men fell to the floor, leading to knee and ankle injuries for the policeman.

Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines, the national flag carrier, will halt flights to Kuwait from February 1, officials said on Thursday.

It is pertinent to mention here that the airline had been incurring an annual loss due to its flight operations to the US, prompting the management to stop flights.

According to the official sources, the airline will no longer book flights for Kuwait through its reservation system from February 1.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is cancelling Salalah – Karachi and Muscat – Lahore flights from February 1, 2018, a senior official from PIA said.

Shahzad Paracha, country manager of PIA Oman, however, said: “We were forced to cancel some flights because of the shortage of aircraft.

But, we are hoping that we will soon able to restore these flights.”

PIA operates three times a week to Karachi from Salalah and two flights a week to Lahore from Muscat.


Tourism Observer

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines To Halt U.S. Flights After 55 Years Of Service

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will end its service to the U.S., specifically to New York JFK airport, later this month after 55 years of history.

The news was first reported by Gulf News late last week and PIA officially closed reservations for its New York JFK route on October 31, 2017.

PIA currently operates 2 weekly flights to New York JFK on a Boeing 777-200ER.

The outbound service operates from New York to Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while the inbound service operates on the same dates, but makes a security stop in Manchester, U.K. en-route to New York from Lahore.

This will leave PIA with one remaining long-haul station in North America, Toronto, which is served four times a week from Lahore (2x), Islamabad (1x) and Karachi (1x), but nonstop in either direction.

Pakistan International has also served Chicago O’Hare and Houston in prior years.

The carrier launched Chicago in May 2003, initially on a weekly basis with a stopover in Birmingham, U.K. on an Airbus A310, before moving the stopover to Manchester in April 2004.

It suspended Chicago service in August 2007, but resumed it in May 2010, with a stopover in Barcelona, using a Boeing 777-200ER.

Chicago was canceled again in March 2012 and has not been resumed since despite PIA expressing intentions to resume Chicago service.

PIA also served Houston, utilizing a Boeing 747-Combi and a Boeing 777-200ER, via Manchester from June 2004 through October 2006, operated once or twice a week depending on the year.

2010 U.S. Census data shows that there are over 360,000 residents in the United States of Pakistani origin. Of these, the largest communities of households with Pakistani origin reside in New York, Chicago, Houston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Dallas.

The current schedule offered by PIA from New York JFK to Lahore indicates that the flight duration is roughly 13 hours and 45 minutes gate-to-gate.

With the removal of a nonstop flight from New York JFK to Lahore, average journey time will rise substantially for at least 3 hours as connections will now be required.

Per Innovata scheduling data, existing routing options between the U.S. and Pakistan show itineraries available for as short as 16.6 hours using a 1-stop connection.

For instance, Emirates offers the fastest connection from New York JFK to Karachi, with a ground time of 1-hour and 25 minutes in Dubai.

The second fastest is via Jeddah on Saudia from New York JFK to Karachi, then from Boston to Lahore over Dubai.

However, in the reverse direction, journey time difference will be negligible given the need for a security stop in Manchester as per the status quo.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has enforced the security stop in Manchester for many years as prior investigations have led them to conclude that the security environment at Karachi and Islamabad airports are insufficient to permit nonstop return services back to the U.S.

Purportedly, prior checks uncovered that government and other influential individuals had been able to circumvent routine security screenings at Pakistani airports, therefore mandating a heightened security measure.

Presumably, PIA is axing its New York JFK flight due to heavy losses on the route, and although it has desired to terminate its JFK station for some time now, it has been unable to do so due to political pressure.

The issue has likely taken on additional sensitivity since the Trump administration has taken office and tensions have mounted between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Over the summer, the administration warned that it had, zero patience for Pakistan’s terror policy and would impose aid restrictions on Pakistan or even declare it as a state-sponsor of terror.

Pakistan International Airlines has been serving the U.S. since 1961, and while it has a longstanding history of being one of the rarer foreign flag carriers on U.S. soil, current political and economic realities do not justify the commercial sacrifices it must make in order to continue to stay relevant.



Tourism Observer

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Overloads Flight To Medina

Pakistan International Airlines is investigating how seven extra passengers were allowed to stand in the aisles on a flight to Saudi Arabia.

The passengers were allowed on the 20 January flight to Medina despite every seat being filled, the airline said.

Details of the flight have only emerged now because of extensive investigations by Dawn newspaper.

Staff had issued additional handwritten boarding passes, the paper reported.

Such an over-crowded flight would have caused problems in an emergency evacuation, aviation experts said, and passengers would not have had access to oxygen if it was suddenly required.

This is the first time the airline is known to have boarded excess passengers on a flight.

The flight in question went from Karachi to Medina carrying a total of 416 passengers, on a Boeing 777 with a total seating capacity of 409, including staff seats.

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority is accused of not taken punitive action against the airline or its staffers for putting the passengers' lives at risk.

The newspaper quoting airline sources accuses PIA ground traffic staff of issuing handwritten - rather than computer-generated - boarding passes to the extra passengers.

It quotes flight captain Anwer Adil as insisting that he was not told about the extra passengers until after take-off.

"I noticed that some people were those who were categorically refused jump staff seats by me at the check-in counter before the flight", he was quoted by Dawn as saying.

"I had already taken off and the senior purser did not inform me about extra passengers before closing the aircraft door.

"Therefore after take-off any immediate landing back at Karachi was not possible as it required a lot of fuel dumping which was not in the interest of the airline."

PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said that "the matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken once responsibility is fixed".

When asked how long the inquiry will take, he said it was "not possible to put a time frame on it".

In December, all 48 people on board a PIA plane were killed when it crashed in the north of the country.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Chairman Resigns

The chairman of Pakistan’s embattled national carrier has resigned following a fatal plane crash that killed 47 people last week, one of the country’s deadliest air disasters.

Mohammad Azam Saigol tendered his resignation on Monday due to personal reasons, PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said, but declined to comment further.

Saigol’s resignation came after a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a mountain on the way to Islamabad from the city of Chitral after one of the aircraft’s two turboprop engines failed, killing everyone on board.

On Monday PIA grounded its 10 remaining ATR turboprop planes for thorough testing in the wake of the crash and another incident in which a plane was recalled to its parking bay after experiencing a fault just before take off at Multan airport.

“The process of carrying out shakedown tests of PIA’s ATR aircraft has now started. CAA and PIA’s Quality Control department are taking part in this thorough examination in which PIA’s all ATR aircraft will be inspected one by one,” a PIA statement said on Monday.

ATR is a Toulouse, France-based turboprop aircraft maker and “the world leader in the market for regional aircraft up to 90 seats”, according to the company’s website.

The company was established in 1981 and is a partnership between two European aeronautics firms, the Airbus Group and Leonardo.

Its ATR 42-500 is a twin turboprop plane that carries 48 passengers in standard configuration and is capable of operations on both paved and unpaved strips. The engines are built by Pratt & Whitney Canada, a division of the US manufacturer.

ATR has so far declined to comment while Pakistani authorities investigate the causes of the crash.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Blamed Engine Failure For Plane Crash

Flight had 48 on board, including famous pop-singer-turned-Islamic preacher Junaid Jamshed and his wife
Pakistan International Airlines today blamed engine failure for the horrific plane crash which claimed 48 lives, even as the country's top civil aviation body launched a probe into the tragic accident.

The PIA plane PK-661 with 48 people, including famous pop singer-turned-Islamic preacher Junaid Jamshed, his wife and Deputy Commissioner Chitral Osama Warraich, on board crashed yesterday in Saddha Batolni village near Havelian while en route to Islamabad from Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The aircraft had issued a Mayday or a distress call before losing radar contact and crashing into a mountain.

According to the airline, the plane was an ATR-42 turboprop aircraft, which lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Islamabad's Benazir International Airport en route from Chitral.

PIA Chairman Azam Saigol blamed engine failure for the deadly crash.

"Around 4.15 pm the ATC received an emergency call from the pilot who informed them about the engine failure. A few minutes later, a mayday distress call was received from the pilot," Mr Saigol told reporters.

The ATR-42 aircraft involved in the crash had undergone regular maintenance, including an 'A-check' certification in October, Mr Saigol said.

"I want to make it clear that it was a perfectly sound aircraft," Mr Saigol said, ruling out technical or human error. Pakistan authorities were conducting DNA testing to identify the victims of plane crash as most of the dead bodies were charred beyond recognition.

According to rescue official Ghayoor Mushtaq, all bodies had been retrieved by 02.00 am this morning and shifted to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

A military official said three helicopters have been deputed to transport the bodies to Islamabad. They will be then moved to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad and Combined Military Hospital in neighbouring Rawalpindi.

Dr Junaid of Ayub Medical Complex said only six bodies were recognised while others will be identified through DNA matching.

Mr Jamshed, two Austrians, and a Chinese national were on the ill-fated PIA flight.

The pilot of the ill-fated ATR-42 made his first call to the air traffic control soon after the flight took off. He said the plane's left engine was not functioning and moments later followed with a panicked, 'Mayday! Mayday'.

Minutes before the plane crashed at 4.15 pm, the pilot made the emergency call requesting permission for an emergency landing.

The plane vanished from the radar screen and soon after and the communication system stopped. Aviation Division Secretary Irfan Elahi said the Civil Aviation Authority's investigation board, headed by Air Commodore Munir, would lead the inquiry into the cause of the deadly crash.

"We hope the black box will be found soon which can help investigators. At the moment, there is no other reason for the plane crash other than the failure of the left engine," he said.

PAKISTAN: Strike Chaos At Pakistan's National Airline

State-owned airline has admitted that it has no idea how many of its passengers are stranded – or where – amid an ongoing strike by its staff.

With no end in sight, the industrial action forced Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to suspend all of its flights to domestic and foreign destinations, including London and New York – grounding thousands of travellers and crippling the country’s major airports.

The strike is in its fourth day as employees protest plans to privatise Pakistan’s flag carrier, which was previously dubbed the world’s least productive airline.

Airline spokesman Danial Hassan Gillani said: ‘We have no data available on how many and where passengers with confirmed PIA tickets are waiting, because the entire system is shut, servers are down and no booking is being done.’

Bloomberg called PIA the world’s least productive and most overstaffed airline, saying each of its 15,000 full-time workers earns the airline 61,000 rupees (£400, $585) a year, the lowest among 72 carriers tracked by the news agency.

Pakistan International Airlines Sacks Steward For Smuggling Mobile Phones From UK

The management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday terminated the service of a flight steward who was caught by United Kingdom authorities at the Heathrow airport while trying to smuggle mobile phones through a PIA flight on Monday afternoon.

According to a PIA’s press release, flight steward Khurrum Shehzad was caught at the airport while he was boarding the flight PK 786 for Islamabad.

Sources said that Khurrum was arrested by UK authorities at the airport and after an overnight investigation he was released on Tuesday noon.

Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Aamir Memon said that the flight steward was on duty. During checking at the airport three mobile phones were found in his possession.

One of the mobile phones was allegedly a stolen one.

He said PIA had zero tolerance for corruption and illegal activities.

To a question if UK authorities would take any action against PIA in this regard, he said PIA had already informed UK authorities that it did not support illegal acts of its employees and such acts were an individual’s responsibility.

PIA had taken stern action against its employees whenever they were found involved in illegal activities, the spokesperson added.

The sources said that this was not the first time that PIA staffers had been caught for smuggling of electronics items, particularly mobile phones in foreign countries.

UAE: Narcotics Recovered On Pakinstan International Airline Bound For Dubai

Narcotics were discovered on a Dubai-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft on Wednesday after the aircraft was instructed to land at Jinnah International Airport.

According to Customs officials, they had received prior information regarding the attempt to smuggle the narcotics aboard PIA flight PK-221.

The aircraft, enroute to Dubai from Lahore. was instructed to land at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

Custom officials searched the planed with the aid of sniffer dogs, and discovered 3.1 kilograms heroin concealed in one of the bathrooms. The narcotics were hidden behind the panel sheets.

It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first attempt to smuggle illegal drugs using similar means. The authorities are aware of the method used by the smugglers but have yet to make any arrests.

The narcotics were confiscated by Customs and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials at Karachi airport. An investigation into the incident has been initiated.

Earlier in September, Dawn reported that the management of PIA terminated the service of a flight steward who was caught by United Kingdom authorities at Heathrow airport while trying to smuggle mobile phones through a PIA flight.

PIA crew members have also been arrested in the past for attempting to smuggle narcotics on flights bound for international destinations.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Flight Cleared For Take Off In China After Bomb Hoax

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight made an emergency landing at China's Tianjin airport Friday, following a bomb hoax.

After taking off from Beijing, flight PK-852 was en route Tokyo when it made the emergency landing in Tianjin amid a bomb scare, PIA spokesman Danial Gilani told Dawn.com.

The information about the presence of the bomb originated in China, said Gilani. The source of the bomb threat is being probed by Chinese authorities.

At Tianjin, the plane was searched and passengers made to disembark, following which Chinese authorities gave clearance to the plane to take off for Tokyo.

PIA flight 852 had departed from Islamabad Beinjing, from where it was scheduled to reach Tokyo after a brief stopover in China.

PAKISTAN: No Stop Of Pakistan International Airlines Flights To UAE

Pakistan International Airlines has denied reports that its flights to the UAE have been halted because of a lack of new air safety equipment.

Pakistani media reported that UAE aviation authorities had stopped flights by the carrier because its aircraft had not been fitted with the latest airborne collision-avoidance systems (Acas).

The reports said the International Air Transport Association had imposed the restrictions on all international airlines that lacked the air-safety measures.

The collision-avoidance systems, which operate independently of ground-based equipment and air traffic control, warn pilots of threats posed by aircraft that are near their plane.

Danyal Gilani, a spokesman for PIA, said Iata had imposed the restrictions, but most of the airline’s fleet had the new warning system. “All Boeing 777s and Airbus A320s in our fleet already have the new Acas version installed,” he said.

The carrier said all but six of its aircraft were equipped with Acas. “To avoid any possible disruption, PIA is currently using only upgraded planes in the UAE sector,” it said, adding that there had been no changes to its flight schedules.

Zamrad Khan, 40, a Pakistani accountant who lives in Dubai, had put his travel plans on hold after hearing about the media reports. “My family and I were planning a holiday to our hometown Peshawar during the December break. But when we heard the news, I postponed my plans,” Mr Khan said.

The rumours, he said, caused panic among Pakistani expatriates in the UAE because PIA offers the lowest fares home.

“I know there are many families like mine who cancelled their plans rather than flying with an expensive airline,” he said.

PIA operates 35 flights a week from Dubai and 21 flights from Abu Dhabi to many cities in Pakistan.

PAKISTAN: Pilot Allowed Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Reham To Sit In Cockpit, Faces Probe

The Pakistan International Airlines has initiated an inquiry against its pilot for allowing Reham Khan, ex-wife of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, to sit in the cockpit during her journey to Lahore from London.

“According to initial probe, it has been found that Reham Khan visited the cockpit for a few minutes during flight PK-788 London-Lahore on Thursday,” PIA spokesman Danial Gilani told Dawn. According to the pilot’s statement to the administration, he had ‘entertained’ the request of Reham Khan to sit in the cockpit.

Mr Gilani also confirmed that Ms Reham had expressed her desire to sit in the cockpit, which the pilot could not turn down. “Although it appears a courtesy on the part of the pilot, the PIA cannot ignore the rules,” Mr Gilani said, adding that under the law, unauthorised persons were not allowed into the cockpit.

“The responsibility lies with the pilot not to allow anyone be it a celebrity or anyone else to sit in the cockpit,” he said. “This is against the law and a safety hazard.”

“The PIA management has initiated an inquiry into the matter. It will take appropriate disciplinary action against the pilot in light of the inquiry’s findings,” the spokesman said.

PIA had to launch a formal inquiry after pictures of Reham’s sitting in the cockpit were uploaded on social media. “It was very difficult for the PIA management to ignore this matter after her pictures appeared on social media. All the guns would have been towards the PIA had it not taken action in this regard,” he said.

Interestingly, the PIA officials also accorded Reham Khan a warm welcome at the Lahore airport. Danial Gilani, however, said if someone in PIA had warmly received her at the airport in his or her individual capacity, the management did not mind.

Reham Khan could not be reached for her version despite repeated attempts.

PAKISTAN: Dancing Pakistan International Airlines Crew

A pilot and crew have been caught dancing to a Bollywood hit in the cockpit of a plane.

The reportedly leaked footage, which looks to have been filmed by one of the Pakistan International Airlines crew dancing in the cockpit, has caused quite a stir on the internet.

The happy crew members can be seen grooving to Bollywood hit Afghan Jalebi (Ya Baba), from the movie Phantom.

The cockpit party happened while the plane was stationary at the airport - but it is unclear as to whether any passengers were on board.

Last year, SpiceJet crew members were suspended by authorities after they were captured dancing in the aisles during a flight.

Pakistan's civil aviation authority warned domestic carriers to carry out extra checks on their pilots after a pilot was found to have an "unacceptable" blood-alcohol level while flying a Shaheen Air plane skidded off a runway.