One of the most bizarre cases in air travel history, a Karachi-bound passenger was mistakenly boarded onto a Jeddah-bound flight, resulting in a 15-hour ordeal that ended with questioning by Saudi authorities and a struggle to return home.
Malik Shahzain, an electrical engineer and resident of Korangi, was returning to Karachi from Lahore on the night of July 7 after learning that his child had fallen ill.
However, due to what he described as a “serious and irresponsible error” by ground staff at Lahore airport, he was instead flown to Jeddah aboard an AirSial flight.
Shahzain recalled how he arrived at the airport around 9pm and approached airline staff with his boarding pass for the Karachi-bound flight.
At the time, two AirSial aircraft were parked on the tarmac — one scheduled for Karachi and the other for Jeddah — both reportedly departing at 10pm.
“I handed over my boarding pass and was directed to the international departures gate.
I was seated at window seat 17F without being informed I had boarded the wrong flight,” he said.
“Two hours into the flight, I questioned why the plane had not yet reached Karachi.
This caused panic among the crew, who then blamed me for the mistake,” he said, adding that when he asked to be taken to Karachi, he was told it would take two to three days.
“I was told that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would conduct an inquiry to which I assured to cooperate,” he further stated.
The Pakistan Airport Authority has already taken notice of the incident, with the Lahore Airport Management holding the airline responsible.
The manager said that the passenger’s arrival in Jeddah instead of Karachi was a result of the carrier’s ‘negligence and carelessness’.
Two hours into the flight, Shahzain got concerned and asked a flight attendant when the plane would arrive in Karachi. To his shock, he was informed that the aircraft was en route to Jeddah.
Panic ensued among the crew, who informed the captain about the situation.
Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, the airline staff tried to manage the incident discreetly but failed.
Saudi customs and security officials boarded the aircraft and escorted Shahzain away for interrogation.
A Bengali-speaking member of the Saudi security team acted as a translator during the inquiry.
