Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is under scrutiny after a female passenger’s mobile phone went missing inside the aircraft’s air ventilation system and remained there for 13 days, exposing a case of negligence.

 

According to reports, the incident took place on July 6 during a PIA Boeing 777 flight from Jeddah to Islamabad. The female passenger accidentally dropped her mobile phone through an open air vent located beneath her seat mid-flight.

 

The woman recorded a video during the flight showing her phone slipping into the aircraft’s internal system, which she later shared on social media. Despite repeated complaints and follow-ups, PIA’s engineering team failed to retrieve the device for nearly two weeks.

 

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“In July, I was travelling from Jeddah to Islamabad. My phone slipped through a hole under the seat and went inside the aircraft. A phone has a lithium-ion battery, which can explode if it overheats,” the woman explained in a video statement posted online.

 

She stated that the crew was informed, while Security Manager Nadeem Tariq claimed that the phone had been searched for but was not found. “But I kept tracking it for the next six to seven days, and it showed its location between Madinah and Islamabad. Wherever the aircraft flew, my phone kept moving with it,” she added.

 

The passenger also raised concerns about the safety of those onboard, citing the potential hazard of having an electronic device stuck in the plane’s ventilation system. “This is an aircraft with over 300 people on board. If that battery had overheated, anything could have happened,” she said.

 

After 13 days and multiple flights, the phone was finally recovered on July 19 when PIA’s engineering staff opened the aircraft flooring to retrieve it.

 

PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan reportedly confirmed the retrieval, stating, "The phone was returned to the passenger after we opened the aircraft floor. Due to back-to-back scheduled flights, immediate access to the area was not possible." He also added that the airline remained in contact with the passenger throughout the period.

 

However, the passenger and her family have filed a complaint with the Federal Ombudsman against PIA for negligence and the potential risk to passenger safety.

 

But can a phone battery be a fire risk on planes?

 

There have been cases in the past where lithium-ion phone batteries have caught fire or exploded. However, there are no confirmed reports of major explosions or serious structural damage to aircraft caused by mobile phone batteries. Reports suggest commercial aircraft are built to handle small fires or explosions caused by passengers' personal devices, such as phones. Nonetheless, aviation experts say such incidents still pose a significant safety risk and should be treated with urgency.