The pilot and cockpit crew of a Manchester-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight on Sunday briefly walked out of the plane, refusing to fly in protest against detainment of their colleagues.
The flight PK-709 from Lahore was ready for take-off when the pilot and cockpit crew refused to fly the aircraft.
Earlier, the crew of PIA flight PK-758 from London was held after mobile phones and foreign currency worth millions of rupees were recovered from them.
It is reported that the crew members of flight PK-758 had changed their duties to attend the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 and buy the latest model in bulk.
Pakistan Customs officials recovered £5,000 pounds and 21 sets of iPhone 6 from the possession of Captain Amir Hashmi and his crew.
In support of their fellow pilots and crew, the PK-709 crew refused to fly, urging PIA to resolve the issue with Customs. However, the crew decided to fly after Customs officials briefed them about the rules for cabin crew and passengers.
Customs maintain that rules for bringing in foreign currency and items are the same for PIA crew as for passengers.
