Toronto: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the state-run carrier of Pakistan, is grappling with the mysterious disappearance of its crew members in Canada. This unsettling trend, which first emerged in 2019, has gained momentum recently, as reported by aviation news website Simple Flying.
The most recent incident involves Maryam Raza, who seemingly “vanished in the air” after her PIA flight landed in Toronto on Monday (February 26).
She reportedly left behind a poignant note in her Toronto hotel room, expressing gratitude to PIA before her disappearance.
Maryam’s case follows closely on the heels of another disappearance in January 2024 when PIA flight attendant Faiza Mukhtar went missing in Canada, as reported by Dawn.
This concerning pattern emerges against the backdrop of PIA’s ongoing struggle with financial difficulties and credibility issues.
Pakistan itself is grappling with a profound financial crisis, relying heavily on loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stay afloat. The country has witnessed a significant exodus of skilled professionals in 2023, exacerbating its economic challenges.
The trend of Pakistani flight attendants seeking asylum in Canada and other nations dates back to as early as 2018, according to The Media Line, a Middle East-based news outlet.
In 2023 alone, at least seven PIA crew members reportedly vanished after arriving in Canada. Two cabin crew members, who had flown from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport to Toronto in December 2023, disappeared upon arrival, compelling the PIA flight to return to Islamabad without them, as confirmed by PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan.
In an interview with ArabNews, spokesperson Khan attributed the crew’s disappearance to Canada’s “excessively liberal asylum policies.”
However, experts suggest that factors such as low salaries and apprehension about the airline’s future might be motivating crew members to seek refuge in Canada rather than returning home, as highlighted by India Today.
Amidst financial turmoil, PIA’s privatization was greenlit by Pakistan’s caretaker cabinet in February, just two days before the country’s elections, in a bid to overhaul the financially beleaguered airline, as reported by news agency PTI.
