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In a surprising travel mix-up, a passenger scheduled to fly from Lahore to Karachi accidentally boarded an international AirSial flight to Jeddah. The incident occurred on July 7, when Malik Shahzain mistakenly boarded a flight carrying Umrah pilgrims instead of his domestic route.
Shahzain had been in Lahore for nearly a month, handling factory-related matters. On the day of travel, he received a boarding pass for AirSial flight PF146, which was scheduled to depart at 9:45 PM.
“I had been in Lahore for one month for work. I booked my ticket for AirSial to Karachi,” Shahzain said.
At the boarding gates, an international flight to Jeddah was also in progress. Confused by the activity, Shahzain unknowingly boarded the wrong aircraft.
“When I collected my boarding pass, I saw another flight boarding for Jeddah. I mistakenly boarded that one,” he explained.
According to Shahzain, he became suspicious two hours into the flight when the aircraft had not yet landed. Only then did he learn he was headed to Jeddah. After arrival, a team informed him of the error and arranged his return to Lahore.
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) confirmed that a probe has been initiated. According to spokesman Saifullah, senior officials have written to the Civil Aviation Authority and the AirSial station manager.
“In the letter, the regulator has been asked to impose a heavy fine on the airline for negligence,” Saifullah added.
However, the PAA has not yet clarified how the passenger cleared immigration for an international flight without detection. Shahzain eventually returned and boarded an AirSial flight, PF144, to Karachi from Lahore on July 8 at 3:45 AM. The incident has raised serious concerns over airport security and airline boarding protocols in Pakistan.
