ISLAMABAD, JUL 22(DNA) -PIA has denied the news story appearing in a section of the press regarding PIA’ New York bound flight delayed for 17 hours due to wedding of Prime Minister’s granddaughter. The said news is totally baseless and unfounded. PIA spokesman said here on Wednesday. The Prime Minister travelled to Jeddah with family as a revenue passenger along with other revenue passengers and similarly returned again as a revenue passenger along with other revenue passengers. PIA would like to clarify for the information of the valued readers that PIA flight PK 722 New York- Lahore of 15th July operated at 0230 AM (American Local Time), the scheduled time of flight was 2105 (American Local Time) of 14th July and landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore on 16thJuly at 01:05 AM PST. The flight PK722 JFK-Lahore operated with a delay of 5 hours and 25 minutes being consequential delay that is to say the first leg of flight PK 721 Lahore- Manchester-New Yorkoperated with a delay of 7 hours 25 minutes due to technical reasons. All passengers of the said flight were informed about the flight delay in advance. PIA does not compromise on safety standards and does not operate a flight until it is cleared by engineering. Furthermore, PIA does not operate any flight from Jeddah to New York. The USA bound flights from Pakistan make a stopover in UK only for onward travel to USA. However, the airline operates a non-stop flight to Pakistan on the return leg. This particular flight Lahore-Manchester-New York-Lahore has nothing to do with Prime Minister or his family’s personal ceremony and the news story is baseless in the news. All passengers of the flights PK 721 Lahore-Manchester-New York and PK 722 New York-Lahore disembarked at their respective destinations in Manchester, New York and Lahore.—DNA