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No visa, no passport: Pakistani man lands in Jeddah instead of Karachi after boarding wrong flight
The incident has drawn the attention of the Pakistan Airport Authority, with the Lahore Airport Management reportedly holding the airline accountable.
A passenger travelling from Lahore to Karachi was mistakenly flown to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by a private airline despite not carrying a passport or visa, prompting him to issue a legal notice against the carrier.
The passenger, Shahzain, has now sent a legal notice to the private airline, accusing it of negligence and seeking compensation for the ordeal, ARY News reported.
According to Shahzain, he boarded the wrong aircraft after presenting his ticket to the crew. “Two planes were parked at the domestic terminal gate, and I was unaware of the mistake until it was too late,” he said. He claimed that no airline staff informed him of the error despite checking his boarding pass.
He only realised something was amiss two hours into the flight. “I questioned why the plane had not yet reached Karachi. This caused panic among the crew, who then blamed me for the mistake,” he said, adding that he was later told it would take two to three days to arrange his return.
“I was told that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would conduct an inquiry, to which I assured [them of] my cooperation,” he was quoted by ARY News as saying.
The legal notice sent to the airline demands reimbursement for the unexpected travel costs and compensation for the distress caused. Shahzain maintains that the airline is responsible for failing to verify his documentation and for allowing him to board an international flight without travel papers.
The incident has drawn the attention of the Pakistan Airport Authority, with the Lahore Airport Management reportedly holding the airline accountable.
A senior airport official said the passenger’s arrival in Jeddah was due to the airline’s “negligence and carelessness,” and that a formal request for action had been submitted to the relevant authorities, the report added.
With ANI inputs
