A Frenchwoman endured an
18-hour journey from the Pakistani city of Lahore to Paris and back again after
sleeping through her plane's stop in the French capital, officials said on
Wednesday.
Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) are investigating how ground crew failed to notice the woman
during the plane's two-hour stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
The woman, named as Patrice
Christine Ahmed, who is married to a Pakistani, left Lahore at noon on Tuesday
to fly to Paris via Milan, but did not wake up to get off the plane, airline
spokesman Sultan Hasan told AFP.
The woman did not mention
her mistake to cabin crew and the matter only came to light when she was
stopped by immigration officials on arrival back in Lahore on Wednesday morning
-- after a 12,000-kilometre (7700-mile) round trip.
Hasan said PIA were
investigating the incident and the French subcontractor responsible for
passenger handling in Paris.
"We have put questions
to this French firm also about the incident but it is also the responsibility
of the passenger to disembark at the destination," he said.
"It is a passenger's
responsibility to check about the destination and disembark when the plane
arrives at the particular airport."
PIA later arranged to send
the woman back to Paris with another airline because none of its own flights
were available, but said that the party responsible for the negligence will pay
for the extra ticket.
"It depends who is at
fault. If it is a mistake by the local firm, they will pay and if the woman
herself is responsible than she will have to bear the cost," Hasan said.
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