Pakistan International Airline crew returns from UK after plane search

Islamabad: Crew members of a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight whose passports had been seized by the British authorities in relation with a heroin recovery case, returned to Islamabad from London on Thursday.

The crew made its way back from Heathrow Airport, where their passports were seized by British authorities who searched the plane (in which heroin was found) and questioned them after landing from Islamabad on Monday.

According to country's leading newspaper, an inquiry has been launched into the issue.

British authorities confirmed on Wednesday that Border Force officers had found a "quantity of heroin" on board the PIA flight.

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PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar said British authorities had "thoroughly searched" and detained the flight crew after they landed at Heathrow.

The Pakistan carrier has come under fire for poor performance, low safety standards and the staff's unprofessional attitude.

Members of PIA crew have been sacked for smuggling contraband and assisting money laundering operations.