pakistan International airlines

Flight attendants from one airline keep vanishing after landing in Toronto

At least four flight attendants working for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have reportedly vanished after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport over the past year, according to several local outlets. 

The most recent incident reportedly involved a flight attendant who arrived in Toronto from Lahore via PIA flight PK-784, but "slipped away" prior to their scheduled return flight. 

"The flight of the national flag carrier had to return to Islamabad without the crew member," sources familiar with the matter told Pakistani media outlet ARY News

This isn't the first instance of a PIA flight attendant vanishing after landing in Toronto, with the total count of missing crew members now totalling four in 2023. 

On Oct. 14, PIA crew member Ijaz Shah touched down at Toronto Pearson Airport, but never showed up on his scheduled return flight to Islamabad to days later. The crew member was subsequently dismissed from the airline, and was reported to the Canadian Border Services Agency. 

In November, two other flight attendants reportedly vanished after arriving in Toronto from Islamabad, prompting the airline to implement stricter regulations for flight crew members travelling to Canada and European countries. 

Back in August, the airline's employees protested their working conditions, lack of a pay raise, and PIA's privatization plan. While the airline agreed to discuss a pay raise with employees, it did not make any commitments regarding its privatization plan. 

According to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, foreign nationals need not obtain a temporary resident visa if they seek to enter and remain in Canada as a flight crew member. 

blogTO reached out to Pakistan International Airlines for comment on these incidents but did not receive a response in time for this article's publication. 

Lead photo by

Elena Berd


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Travel

Cruise takes you down the Rideau Canal in Ottawa and past the most beautiful village

There's a wise-looking oak tree hiding on a nature trail in Ontario

Nature escape in Ontario has one of the region's longest undeveloped shorelines

Historic park is a picturesque spot to spend the day near Toronto

Here's how to plan an epic Ontario road trip from Toronto this summer

You can take a 5 day cruise in Ontario staying in beautiful small towns

Five Ontario cities were just crowned the best in Canada for tourists to explore on foot

This town near Ontario is like a suburban Venice with quaint homes lining canals