SC takes notice after passengers complain flight delay at Skardu airport
July 17, 2018
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took suo motu notice of difficulties faced by passengers at Skardu airport after the Director General Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) allegedly took a group of friends for a special tour of Nanga Parbat on a PIA plane scheduled for a flight.
The court directed CAA and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to submit a report before it withing 48 hours.
Earlier today, sources told Geo News that the DG CAA took a group of friends for a special tour of Nanga Parbat on a PIA plane and that "the tour took place as passengers waited for the plane’s arrival at Skardu airport for their scheduled flight.”
As per reports, when the plane finally landed at Skardu airport after a delay of hours, passengers protested and lashed out at the DG CAA Hassan Baig.
Baig, however, denied using a plane of the national carrier.
“I went for an air safari on the invitation of PIA CEO,” he upheld adding that the national carrier told him that they are starting an air safari and thus wanted to invite him.
“I have nothing to do with the plane being taken for an air safari,” the DG CAA said while speaking to Geo News via telephone.
“None of my friends was on board the plane,” he clarified.
Meanwhile, PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told Geo News that the flight to Skardu was delayed owing to bad weather and not because of the air safari.
"We had passed on a message to Skardu airport authorities that the flight will be delayed," he added.
PIA didn't compensate despite promise: passenger
A passenger, whose video went viral as she lashed out at DG CAA at Skardu airport over the delay in the flight, told Geo News that the airline did not compensate them despite promising to.
"PIA's chief commercial officer promised us that our ticket money would be refunded owing to the delay," she said.
"However, the chief commercial officer disappeared soon after landing in Islamabad," she added.
The passenger, who identified herself as Muneeza, further said, "We missed our next flight due to the delay in the Skardu-Islamabad flight."
"CAA should conduct an inquiry against PIA and compensate passengers," she said.
