Pakistan International Airlines leaves coffins behind at JFK airport
Struggling Pakistan International Airlines’ final flight from the US didn’t exactly go to plan.
PIA has been forced to issue an apology after two coffins containing dead bodies were inadvertently left behind at New York’s JFK airport.
The carrier has blamed ground handling workers for the oversight.
The bodies were due to be loaded onto the airline’s final flight from New York to Lahore.
The coffins were left in the correct loading bay but were then forgotten.
PIA ‘regrets the inconvenience caused due to negligence on part of the airline’s ground handling agency and expresses its sympathies with the family members of the deceased persons,’ it said in a statement.
The airline said it will pay all costs to repatriate the bodies.
PIA chairman Musharraf Rasool Cyan has ordered an inquiry into the mishap.
The airline has been plagued by financial losses for years and a number of high profile scandals.
These include discoveries of illicit drugs been shipped on flights, often masterminded by airline workers and earlier this year it flew a plane overloaded with passengers, with seven forced to stand in the aisle for the three-hour flight to Saudi Arabia.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026