Tuesday 28 April 2009

Rat On Board PIA Flight Causes Passenger Violence

Rattus Norvegicus album coverImage via Wikipedia

It's not often I quote a news report totally verbatim but this, thanks to pal Angus, just begs to be digested in full and at leisure.

I particularly love the reaction of the passengers on the delayed Dubai flight.

I have edited not one word from the below. And they're not even taking the Mickey - here's the link so's you can confirm I'm on the straight and narrow!



Another rat found in plane

By: Amraiz Khan | Published: April 27, 2009 LAHORE - Yet another rat was spotted in a PIA aircraft prior its take-off from the Allama Iqbal International Airport on Sunday.

The flight PK-758, which was scheduled for Lahore-Karachi-London air-route, had come from London at the Lahore airport. Unlike the last incident wherein business class passengers of PK-258 saw a rat, this time, it was the pilot himself who spotted the dubious movements of the mouse.

This was the second mouse infested PIA flight. The pilot later refused to operate the aircraft any further till the removal of the rat, said sources in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The plane wherein the pilot found the mouse was scheduled to fly back to London as PK-787. But due to his refusal, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) management arranged another 777 aircraft to cover the same route. The 777 aircraft was originally supposed to operate as PK-203 for Dubai at 8:45 am, but in order to make it available for London the PIA management delayed the 777’s Dubai operation by 1:00 am, April 27.

The passengers of the Dubai flight started protesting when their flight was delayed. The CAA had to call police and ASF when the protesting pasesngers became violent.

As per details, the pilot of the flight PK-758 saw the rat on board and refused to operate it back as PK-787 Lahore-Karachi-London, saying that it could be hazardous for the flying.

As per sources in the PIA and CAA, the airport management tried to convince the pilot for further flight but he refused to do so, saying that the presence of the rat could cause an mishap.

However, after a short discourse the pilot became ready to take the flight as ferry flight (with no passengers and cabin crew) to Karachi.

*** OH NOES! IT GETS BETTER! ***

Thanks to eagle-eyed Twitterpal Kawthar, I can now share the FOLLOWUP story. Hang on there, readers, this is going to be a bumpy ride!

Another rat found in plane

By: Amraiz Khan | Published: April 27, 2009 The panic-stricken PIA Flight Control located at Karachi cancelled the Dubai-bound PK-203, to be operated by another Boeing 777 with 300 passengers, most of whom had checked-in or were in the process to do so. This caused a lot of anger amongst the passengers, some of them with visa restrictions to enter by 26 April, while most of them had prior business commitments in Dubai.

The police and ASF were called in to calm the agitators after they came to know that London bound passengers were given preference, when PIA decided to detail the Dubai bound aircraft for London flight, while delaying the Dubai flight till 1 am on 27 April, which will be operated by a Boeing 777 returning from New York as PK-712.

Meanwhile, the rat infested Boeing 777 was ferried by PIA to Karachi, without any passenger, since it was not cleared for normal operation by the CAA.

The PIA sources have disclosed that rats find their way into planes by means of cargo containers lying at cargo sheds. Other places for their entrance are the catering vans and Avio Bridges from where passengers embark.

When contacted the PIA spokesman said that no rat was witnessed in the plane but plane was operated as ferry flight to Karachi because of some technical reasons. But the Civil Aviation Vigilance section confirmed the presence of mouse in PK-758.

Another update, July 2009!!!

MORE rats found on PIA flights! And the cheeky buggers are trying to blame HEATHROW! Here's the link - and above is a nice history of rat infested flights that haven't been near good old LHR!


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20 comments:

Alexander said...

There's no prize for anyone who works out what the illustration's all about beyond the simple acknowledgment of your genius...

Seabee said...

Great find Alex! I absolutely love the language in the piece.

The 'whereins' I particularly like - "wherin the pilot" and "wherin business class passengers".

I also loved the "dubious movements of the mouse". Dubious?

Each time he describes the rodent he switches from rat to mouse and back again. I wonder what it actually was, a big mouse? A small rat?

I'm wondering too whether one rodent of indeterminate parenthood can fairly be described as infesting an aircraft.

Seabee said...

Alex you put the follow-up in as I was typing the comment.

Amraiz has completely ruined his exceptional original piece. All tidied up and boring now, rather than the gorgeous eccentricity of the original.

An additional lovely section from the original which I noticed on second reading: "the presence of the rat could cause an mishap. However, after a short discourse..."

Stay with your first thoughts Amraiz.

Dubai Jazz said...

Meanwhile, the rat infested Boeing 777 was ferried by PIA to Karachi, without any passenger,.
.
me thinks 'passengerless' would have been better than 'without any passengers'; more aeronautic-like.

Keef said...

I wish I could write like that.

hut said...

let's see. The Stranglers' songs feature mangled English language. The Stranglers' music is rubbish. Rats eat rubbish. Stranglers are rats. Their website may be called 'rats lair'.
Hmmm...

Phillipa said...

so was it a rat or a mouse?

Derrick Pereira said...

Hmmmm, perhaps PIA need some cats onboard to get rid of the rats. Then they'll need to get dogs to get rid of the cats and then they'll need...

Alexander said...

Nick, you are a bad, bad boy with a nasty habit of peeing in people's tea and obviously know nothing about The Stranglers.

And I am delighted to be able to declare you utterly wrong.

hut said...

Alexander, being several years younger than you I missed the whole punkrock thingy...Are these stranglers any good?

What's the link, then?!

Alexander said...

Nick, you cheeky $%£&$)£$~#@£!!!!

Not telling. Someone's going to have to work it out.

It's EASY, too!!!

Dubai Jazz said...

'Rattus Norvegicus' is The Strangler's first Album.

Rattus Norvegicus is also the Norwegian (I'm assuming) name of the Brown Rat.

Case fu**ing closed!

(5 minutes worth of detective work on wikipedia)

Kawthar said...

I hovered over the image, and this link popped up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Stranglers_-_Rattus_Norvegicus_album_cover.jpg

Rattus Norvegicus is the latin name for the common rat.

May I now claim the title of "genius"?

The Ego said...

Dubious rat? Or was it a mouse? Who knows... it was fun to read anyway!!!

hemlock said...

*sigh*
pia is a joke.
as is the nation as an english newspaper.
argh.
no wait.
AAAAAARGH!

Bush Mechanic said...

...Other places for their entrance are the catering vans...

you don't say

Alexander said...

Dubai Jazz and Kawthar share the honours. Rattus Norvegicus is, indeed, the name of The Stranglers' first album - somewhat confusingly numbered IV, four in Latin.

However, Rattus Norvegicus is not Norwegian, but Latin - the 'proper' scientific name for the common or brown rat. The bubonic plague carrying black rat, incidentally, is rattus rattus.

The album cover was shot at the Hammer House of Horror, incidentally.

I have, as some will know, history with these people.

Nick - Humbled by a WikiJazz and a gun-toting girl in a chadoor.

Ha!!!

PIA's catering wagons will, BTW, continue to lack my custom!

Alexander said...

Two 'incidentally's in one comment.

The sign of a truly smug smartarse...

*sigh*

Em said...

now i feel much better for entering the world of journalism unprepared - certainly better off than that poor bloke.

i'm not THAT bad.

hut said...

Incidentally, I sometimes, graciously, let others have their five minutes of internet fame.

Incidentally.

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