The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is approaching the Canadian authorities after two of its attendants slipped away in Canada in recent days, Arab News Pakistan quoted a PIA spokesperson as saying on Saturday.
The move came after the latest incident marked the 10th such case in a span of two years.
In this regard, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the national flag carrier are planning to seek Canadian immigration authorities’ help.
The disappearance of two PIA employees, identified as Flight Steward Jibran Baloch and Airhostess Maryam Raza, in Canada, pointed to an increase in the number of Pakistani nationals trying to reach Europe and North America through illegal means.
Both Baloch and Raza were abroad Toronto-bound flight, however, they failed to report back to duty after reaching Canada.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan confirmed the move to seek assistance from the FIA and Canadian immigration authorities to repatriate the missing crew.
“Now we are planning some action through the FIA and Canadian immigration authorities,” Khan told Arab News. “Approaching them both.”
Khan attributed the trend of slipping away to “easy access to asylum and the general trend of people trying to flee the country.”
According to him, the PIA introduced several measures, including profiling and restricting crew to those aged 50 and above. Additionally, the airline has also decided to retain passports with the station manager upon arrival at foreign destinations.
“A lot of things have been tried so far from profiling to sending only 50+ crew to retaining passports with the station manager upon arrival,” he said. “Nothing has worked.”
