LONDON: Contradicting an earlier statement by British police, a PIA spokesperson has claimed that the crew members of Pakistan International Airlines were not detained at Heathrow Airport.
The British police had earlier claimed that at least 13 crew members, including the pilot, of PIA flight PK-758 scheduled to travel from London to Lahore were detained at the airport late Monday night over alleged security threats.
British authorities allegedly detained the crew of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight after it landed at London’s Heathrow Airport. It was also reported that the members were ‘thoroughly searched’ afterwards. The crew members’ passports were also reportedly taken away by the police.
The plane was searched for over two hours after landing, PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar said. Flight 785 landed at Heathrow Airport at roughly 2:50pm on Monday. The reason behind this alleged search operation is still unknown.
The flight, meanwhile, was cleared to take off from Heathrow Airport with replaced crew members.
The Metropolitan police said in a statement earlier that action against PIA crew members was taken by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), which is directly dealt by the home office. A spokesman of the home office said the relevant UKBA officers at Heathrow Terminal 3 would be asked to find out why the PIA crew was arrested.
PIA earlier said that the airline planned to take up this case with the High Commission in Britain as it caused a great deal of discomfort to both the crew and the passengers.