Plane returns mid-flight to find singer's handbag?

Rawalpindi, Aug 16: A Lahore-bound flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was reportedly forced to return to the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed International Airport on Saturday, Aug 15 after renowned singer Shabnam Majeed claimed to have lost a handbag in the departure lounge.

Sources at the airport told Daily Times that 15 minutes after take-off, the singer informed the flight attendant that she had misplaced her bag. They said the flight crew searched the plane, but were unable to find the missing bag.

They said Shabnam informed the crew that her handbag contained several valuables, including gold jewellery, cash and a mobile phone and insisted the flight return as the bag might still be in the departure lounge.

Learning this, the crew informed the ground operators of the situation, who permitted the flight (PK-653) to land the plane back at the airport half-an-hour after take-off.

The plane then landed at the Islamabad airport and allowed Shabnam to search for her missing handbag, a private TV channel reported.

It claimed her efforts had proven futile and she lodged a complaint with PIA authorities before again boarding the flight for Lahore.

However, a PIA spokesperson denied that any such incident had occurred. She said it was against protocol for a plane to return to its point of origin without having completed its journey.

ANI