LONDON: The crew members of Pakistan International Airlines were not detained at Heathrow Airport, as was earlier claimed by the British police, a PIA spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said the airline management was trying to find out reasons behind the alleged detention. 

The British police had earlier claimed that at least 13 crew members, including the pilot, of PIA flight PK-758 scheduled to travel from London to Lahore were detained at the airport late Monday night over alleged security threats.

The crew was taken into custody for interrogation purposes pertaining to the security concerns that had arisen lately, British police said. However, nothing was found during the search of the crew and plane, PIA sources explained.

While the crew has been released and sent back to the hotel, as per British authorities' statement, it still remains under investigation. The crew members' passports were also reportedly taken by the police.

PIA earlier said it seeks to protest against the misconduct and hopes that the passports are returned to the crew tomorrow.

The flight, meanwhile, was cleared to take off from Heathrow Airport with replaced crew members.

The Metropolitan police said in a statement earlier that action against PIA crew members was taken by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), which is directly dealt by the home office. A spokesman of the home office said the relevant UKBA officers at Heathrow Terminal 3 would be asked to find out why the PIA crew was arrested.