PIA denies crew members detained at Heathrow Airport

Islamabad, May 16 (IANS) The spokesperson of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday dismissed earlier reports that the airlines' crew members were detained at London's Heathrow Airport over security threats.

The spokesperson said the crew members, including the pilot who the British authorities claimed to have detained at the airport, had finished their duty hours after flying from Islamabad to London and stayed back in the country, Geo News reported.

They were never scheduled to fly on flight PK-785 from London to Lahore in the first place, the spokesperson said.

The airline official informed that the flight landed in Lahore earlier on Tuesday with a new crew and the original crew had stayed back in London as per schedule.

He added that the passports of the crew members had been returned to them.

The PIA management in London was trying to find out the reasons for the search of the plane and reports of detention, the official added.

According to earlier reports, 14 crew members, including the pilot of the PIA flight were detained at Heathrow Airport on Monday over security concerns and were later released after a "thorough search" of the aircraft for over two hours.

A report in Dawn newspaper quoted PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar as saying that the flight from Islamabad to London arrived at Heathrow Airport at 2.50 p.m. on Monday. Upon landing, as passengers disembarked, the flight crew and aircraft were searched by the authorities.

"Fourteen crew members were released after being detained for nearly two hours by the British authorities," he had said.

According to the British Police, the crew was taken in custody over security concerns but were released later as nothing was found during the search operation.

PIA said it plans to take up the case with the British aviation authorities.