Airport

PIA leaves two coffins behind in New York as shocked family waits in Lahore

The Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) last flight from New York left behind two bodies, booked for Lahore, at the JFK Airport to the utter shock of the waiting family members back home.

Expressing regret, PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that the mistake was committed by the agency providing luggage handling service to the airline on the ground at JFK Airport.

The PIA expressed solidarity with the mourning families. The two coffins were meant to be flown to Lahore on October 28, Dawn online reported.

PIA said it “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 was PIA’s last New York-Lahore flight as it had just suspended the route, so Etihad Airlines had to step in.

A man who was accompanying the body of his brother, and his family members who were waiting in Lahore, left for New York to locate the body after waiting for two days for any remedial step by the PIA.

“The grieved family had been agonised,” said Hasan Mubarak, a relative, who was to receive the body at Lahore airport.

Mubarak said his cousin Nauman Badar, 28, died in the US on October 25. He said the flight arrived at Lahore airport nearly two hours behind its scheduled landing time. And to the utter horror of the waiting family members the body was not found in the luggage area.

They also came across a family from Sialkot who were also trying to find the body of a relative which was expected to reach Lahore by the same flight.

Mubarak said the bodies were enlisted in the cargo list and it was initially found that they were replaced by luggage containing catering items. The bodies lay unattended at JFK Airport for 14 hours and nobody from the PIA knew where they were.

Mubarak said he and his family members contacted the funeral company that had prepared the coffin which actually found the abandoned bodies.

Finally the body of his cousin was retrieved by the funeral company and was being kept in its morgue.

Airport

Top 10 Largest Airports in the World by Size

When it comes to the world’s busiest and largest airports, size matters—not just in terms of the area they cover, but also in the volume of passengers they handle and the number of flights they accommodate.

As air travel continues to grow, airports around the globe are expanding and upgrading to meet increasing demand.

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In 2024, several airports stand out for their impressive size and capacity. This article takes a closer look at these massive aviation hubs, highlighting their key features and what makes them the largest airports in the world today.

Country	Airport	Area (sq km)
Saudi Arabia	King Fahd International Airport	776
United States	Denver International Airport	135
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur International Airport	100
Turkey	Istanbul Airport	76
China	Beijing Daxing International Airport	46
Egypt	Cairo International Airport	36
Thailand	Suvarnabhumi Airport	32
Spain	Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport	30
Canada	Edmonton International Airport (YEG)	28
Netherlands	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol	27
Australia	Brisbane International Airport	27
Germany	Frankfurt Airport	23
India	Rajiv Gandhi International Airport	22

King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia – Spanning a staggering 776 square kilometers, King Fahd International Airport is the largest airport in the world by area. Its vast expanse reflects its crucial role as a major hub in the Middle East.

Denver International Airport, United States – Covering 135 square kilometers, Denver International Airport ranks second in size. Known for its distinctive peaked roof and extensive facilities, it serves as a major gateway in North America.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia – With an area of 100 square kilometers, Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a key international hub in Southeast Asia, offering extensive services and connectivity.

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Istanbul Airport, Turkey – Istanbul Airport covers 76 square kilometers. This relatively new airport has quickly become one of the largest and busiest, positioning itself as a central point for travel between Europe and Asia.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, China – Beijing Daxing International Airport, with 46 square kilometers, is one of the newest major airports, featuring an impressive design and extensive facilities to handle growing passenger traffic.