Pakistan’s Airline Cabin Crew Disappears After Landing In Canada – A Trend Since 2018: Report

In the latest turn of events, a Pakistani International Airline (PIA) cabin crew member who flew to Canada did not come back, becoming one among many others who sought asylum in Canada. The air hostess, Maryam Raza, after landing in Toronto on a flight from Islamabad on Monday did not report for duty when the flight was set to return to Karachi.

When the team members searched for her looking into the hotel room she stayed, they found a note along with the PIA uniform writing, “Thank you, PIA.” The incident followed another similar case one month ago where another flight attendant of PIA, Faiza Mukhtar disappeared after the flight landed in Canada in January 2024. According to the report, since 2018, several crew members of the PIA have disappeared from the airline seeking asylum in Canada. The increasing number of such cases is affecting Pak Airlines significantly.

In 2023 alone, at least seven cabin crew members disappeared in Canada. PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said that two cabin crews did not report to fly back after landing in Canada in December 2023.  Crew members Ayaz Qureshi, Khalid Afridi and Fida Hussain Shah vanished in Canada in November and December last year.

Those who went missing and settled in Canada are helping their fellow members by guiding others to seek asylum in Canada, the spokesperson said. In an apparent attempt to save the airline’s face, the spokesperson further added that the crew seeking asylum is common in developing South Asian countries.

NDTV citing The Media Line reported that the trend of flight attendants vanishing in Canada seeking better prospects started in 2018. It is learnt that the educated professionals have been leaving the country searching for decent life. The Islamic Republic recorded the highest brain drain in 2023 at a time when the country is reeling under economic challenges.

However, the Pakistan airline has blamed its crisis on the Canadian asylum policy terming it “overly liberal.” Though the PIA attributes the reason to the Canadian liberal asylum program, many believe that the meagre salary and uncertain future of the airline are making crews escape the company. As per a report, Pakistan’s caretaker cabinet has approved privatising the airline in an attempt to save the PIA.