LAHORE (Kashmir English): In a strange turn of events, a Pakistani passenger who was supposed to travel from Lahore to Karachi ended up flying to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, instead. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), on Friday, has confirmed the incident and taken action against those responsible.
The passenger, Malik Shahzain Ahmed, was traveling to Karachi through a private airline, Air Sial, but instead boarded the airline’s flight to Jeddah from the Lahore airport, local media reported, citing the passenger.
Ahmed said he went to Lahore airport to board the Karachi-bound flight on July 8, but he “mistakenly” sat in the Jeddah-bound flight after collecting his boarding pass for the domestic flight.
“When two hours passed, I thought something was wrong,” Ahmed said in a video that later went viral. “Then I realized I had taken the wrong flight.”
Upon landing in Jeddah without a passport, Ahmed was briefly detained and questioned by Saudi immigration officials. After the situation became clear, he was deported back to Lahore.
The PAA issued a statement confirming the incident and noted that senior officials had taken notice of the security lapse. According to PAA spokesperson Saifullah, a letter has been sent to the Civil Aviation Authority and the station manager, calling for strict action.
“In the letter, the civil aviation regulator has been requested to impose a heavy fine on the airline responsible for the negligence,” the PAA spokesperson stated.
The PAA statement did not offer an explanation as to how the passenger cleared immigration at the Lahore airport before boarding the Jeddah-bound flight.
As investigations continue, the PAA has promised to ensure tighter procedures are enforced in the future to avoid such incidents.
