PIA suspends another crew member for smuggling smartphones

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended another stewardess for allegedly smuggling mobile phones into Pakistan. The incident emerged after the recent punitive action taken by authorities against eight crew members for their involvement in smuggling.

The latest action has been taken following the suspension of five crew members last week, who were caught red-handed with smuggled smartphones in their possession upon returning from Dubai.

Earlier, the authorities dismissed two members for similar offenses.

A spokesperson stated that they recovered the smartphones from the possession of an air hostess who arrived in Lahore from Dubai.

Read more: PIA sacks two employees over mobile phone smuggling charges 

The said air hostess was performing her duty on flight PK-264, which landed on Saturday at Lahore Airport. Customs officials recovered expensive smartphones from her possession.

In the aftermath, PIA immediately suspended the air hostess and issued a show-cause notice to her. This notice requires a written reply within three days, after which the airline will decide further action against her.

Further investigation is being conducted against her, and if found guilty, she will be dealt with according to company policy, a spokesperson said.

Previously, on the same allegation, the PIA management suspended five employees, including two stewardesses, and served them with show-cause notices after recovering at least 78 smartphones during a routine check at Multan airport.

Also check: PIA flight steward caught smuggling 15 iPhones: Customs

The confiscated iPhone 16 Pro models were discovered in the possession of five crew members.

Acting on prior intelligence, customs authorities intercepted the crew and initially found 24 iPhones with two air hostesses.

Subsequent inquiries led to the recovery of an additional 54 phones from male crew members who were called back from their hotel.