DOWN MEMORY LANE…
(This article & photo provided by Seema Nazar Sahiba).
PIA’s legendary Air Hostess Momi Gul Durrani (left) with Air Hostess Rashida photographed aboard a PIA Boeing 720-040B after arriving at Karachi Airport from London in August 1962. The two Air Hostesses are holding twin babies Fahim Ahmed and Susane Ifrah. Born on March 11, 1962, the twin babies, a girl and a boy, became the jet travelers at the early age of 5 months by undertaking 4,500 miles journey by air unaccompanied by their parents. They arrived in Karachi on a PIA flight from London and took the connecting flight to Rawalpindi twenty minutes later, adding another 700 miles to their flight log.
Their parents had to stay back in England to pursue their medical studies.
Nestling in their parents’ laps, the twins reported at London Airport PIA traffic counter at 12 noon to catch PIA’s Boeing 720B which took off on its flight to Karachi an hour later. The twins remained in the custody of PIA Air Hostesses Momi Gul Durrani and Rashida throughout their flight between London and Karachi.
Twenty minutes after landing in Karachi the twins were transferred to the care of another pair of Air Hostesses who looked after the twins on the second lap of their flight to Rawalpindi.
Momi was one of PIA’s highly trained cabin crew members of 1950s and 1960s. She was tall, fair with film-star looks and PIA had featured her in its many advertisements. The advertisements made Momi perhaps the most easily recognized PIA Air Hostess of her time. On May 20, 1965, Momi was on duty aboard PIA Boeing 720B jetliner which crashed near Cairo Airport. Sadly, 114 people, including Momi, died in this tragic accident.
Courtesy: India Pakistan Heritage Club