VIP travel: PIA alters flight routes to facilitate Shehbaz, Maryam Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: The normal PIA flights carrying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz became a source of inconvenience for the airline and hundreds of passengers.

According to Geo News, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, accompanied by a delegation, traveled on PIA’s Jeddah to Islamabad flight PK 842.

Airline sources disclosed that instead of reaching Islamabad, the PIA flight from Jeddah landed in Lahore.

Previously, PIA’s plane waited for two hours at Jeddah airport for Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and their delegation while passengers remained on board, awaiting the government representatives.

Upon return, the flight landed in Lahore instead of Islamabad.

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Passengers reported that even after the government delegation disembarked, the plane remained grounded at Lahore airport for an additional two hours. There were 380 passengers on board flight PK 842 from Jeddah to Islamabad, including those bound for Islamabad and KP, who vocally protested while stranded in Lahore. Passengers insisted on being allowed to disembark, expressing willingness to travel to Islamabad by bus or train.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his delegation, traveling to Saudi Arabia on April 7 via PIA, had also experienced an unexpected landing in Medina Munawwara instead of Jeddah. Passengers on the Lahore to Jeddah flight PK 759 also strongly protested against this diversion to Medina Munawwara.

Airline sources indicated that altering the flight route during the government delegation’s Saudi Arabia trip resulted in significant damage to PIA’s reputation and inflicted severe mental and physical distress upon passengers.

The sources further revealed that these flight deviations incurred millions of rupees in additional expenses for PIA, covering fuel and other costs.