Ticket to Karachi, trip to Jeddah: Airline blunder sends man abroad without papers

Lahore: A domestic travel plan turned into an international ordeal when a passenger, intending to fly from Lahore to Karachi, was mistakenly boarded onto a flight bound for Jeddah. According to a report by ARY News, the passenger, identified as Shahzain, has now issued a legal notice to the private airline responsible, demanding accountability for what he describes as a severe lapse in protocol and passenger safety.

Shahzain claims that despite showing his valid domestic ticket to the airline crew, he was never informed he had boarded the wrong aircraft. The confusion reportedly occurred at the Lahore airport, where two planes were stationed at the same gate: one for a domestic route to Karachi and another for an international flight to Jeddah.

It wasn’t until two hours into the flight that Shahzain began to question why the aircraft had not reached Karachi. When he raised the issue with the crew, he says panic ensued. The airline staff allegedly shifted the blame onto him, even though he neither had a passport nor a visa required for travel to Saudi Arabia.

In Jeddah, Shahzain found himself stranded and distressed, unable to proceed further without proper documentation. He claims the airline informed him it would take two to three days to arrange his return to Karachi. He was also told the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would be launching an inquiry, to which he agreed to cooperate.

The legal notice sent by Shahzain demands that the airline reimburse his travel expenses and provide compensation for the hardship he endured due to their alleged negligence.

Authorities have taken serious notice of the incident. The Lahore Airport Management has reportedly held the airline responsible for the error, describing it as a case of “negligence and carelessness.” A formal request for disciplinary action against the airline has been forwarded to the relevant aviation authorities.

ANI inputs