ISLAMABAD: According to a spokesperson for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), a flight from Jeddah to Islamabad, PK-942, encountered an issue leaving 50 passengers stranded at Jeddah Airport due to the small size of the aircraft.
Affected passengers were provided with accommodation and essential amenities at a nearby hotel, while arrangements were underway for their transportation to Islamabad.
Originally slated to reach Islamabad on Sunday, the flight mainly consisted of Umrah pilgrims. However, due to the aircraft’s limited capacity, 50 passengers were unable to board in Jeddah.
To address the situation, the spokesperson assured that a special plane would be organized to transport all passengers from Jeddah to Islamabad.
The delays and inconvenience sparked demands for intervention from higher authorities.
Moreover, flights from Jeddah to Karachi and from Karachi to Islamabad faced delays reportedly due to suspected irregularities in PIA’s flight operations, leading to frustration among passengers.
Flight PK-732 from Jeddah to Karachi experienced a delay of over four hours, with multiple changes to the departure time. This aircraft was meant to operate flight PK-300 from Karachi to Islamabad.
The scheduled departure at 7 am was postponed for several hours due to aircraft unavailability.
These incidents shed light on the challenges faced by passengers and airlines alike, emphasizing the necessity for enhanced operational efficiency and communication to ensure seamless travel experiences.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
