KARACHI: Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendants on a flight to Canada disappeared after arriving in Toronto last week, confirmed an airline spokesperson on Tuesday, adding that eight PIA employees have gone missing in the North American state over the past two years due to its “liberal asylum” policy.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of Pakistani nationals attempting to reach developed countries in Europe and North America, seeking to escape challenging economic circumstances through illegal means.
Earlier this year in June, a weathered trawler carrying 750 illegal migrants, including 350 from Pakistan, sank near Greece. The incident prompted local officials to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Greek authorities to cooperate against human traffickers and prevent such incidents in the future.
The recent disappearance of PIA employees in Canada suggests that a similar trend may also be emerging among white-collar workers in the country.
“The two flight attendants disappeared upon arriving in Toronto and didn’t show up on scheduled time of return,” Abdullah Khan, PIA spokesperson, told Arab News, saying that eight crew members of Pakistan’s national flag carrier had disappeared in Canada in two years.
The flight attendants, Khalid Mehmood and Feda Hussain, went to Canada from Islamabad on PK772 on November 10, but they failed to report back before the flight departed from Toronto.
The airline notified the local authorities in Canada and launched a departmental investigation against its missing employees that may lead to their termination of services.
Khan informed that four PIA cabin crew members had disappeared in the same way last years, while four more managed to vanish in 2023.
“The reason for this is overly liberal asylum and asylum program by the Canadian government,” he added.
“We normally terminate the services of such individuals and penalize them by denying them of any benefits,” he continued.
The Pakistan media, citing unnamed sources, reported the airline had implemented stricter regulations for flight attendants traveling to Canada and European countries.
These regulations include setting an age limit of above 50 years for cabin crew members.
