A spokesman for Pakistan Airline Pilots' Association (PALPA) has categorically rejected a statement by PIA spokesman that PK 701 on 19th December to Manchester from Islamabad was diverted to Istanbul on route to change crew and got stuck at Istanbul due to sick reporting by a captain.
The spokesman said that it was a complete failure on part of management's inefficient crew planning which did not even bother to inform Captain Farrukh Shafeeq who was stationed in Istanbul to operate PK 762 to Islamabad on 21st December, hence he was not supposed to have rested and ready to operate a flight on 19 December to Manchester.
On the other hand the spokesman said, the management tried to force the operating captain of PK 701 19th December Captain T H Shirazee first to continue flight from Islamabad with a technical fault in its engine No 2 which he refused and diverted to Karachi for rectification. Once in Istanbul he was again forced to operate till Manchester which he again refused on the pretext of having been on duty for more than 18 hours and considering it a safety risk for the flight and its passengers.
At this moment only, having no other option, the airline management might have decided to make a night stop at Istanbul. The passengers of PK 701 19 December also regrettably were not aware of the stop at Istanbul planned by the management, an instance which should be taken into consideration by CAA Pakistan.-PR