An air steward for Pakistan International Airlines has appeared in court following the seizure of about two and a half kilos of heroin at Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Syed Shahrukh Shah, 31, a Pakistani national, was in the dock before Leeds magistrates today, charged with the importation of a Class A drug.

Shah did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody to appear at Leeds Crown Court on December 5.

He was arrested by Border Force officials at the airport in Yeadon late on Wednesday after arriving on a PIA flight from Islamabad.

Officers found the drugs inside baggage which had been carried on the flight.

A spokesman for PIA confirmed to the Telegraph & Argus that Shah was a member of cabin crew who had been with the airline for more than five years.

He said: “As soon as we received information on the arrest from UK authorities, Mr Shah was immediately suspended from duty. We are now waiting for the outcome of the legal action against him. Whatever the outcome of the case, further and appropriate action will be taken.”

Commenting on Shah’s arrest, a spokesman for Leeds-Bradford Airport suggested an internal inquiry within the airline might also be underway.

He said: “We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we’re working with PIA as it progresses with its investigation.”

Kevin Parsons, acting assistant director for Border Force, the Home Office law enforcement command responsible for entry control and customs functions at UK borders, said: “This is an excellent seizure of an extremely harmful drug and I would like to pay tribute to the vigilance and hard work of the officers involved.

“We will continue to work hard to keep our borders safe and crack down on drug smuggling.”

Border Force officers seized more than 2,000kg of heroin in 239 raids across the UK from the start of 2011 to the end of 2012. Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call the Border Force hotline on 0800 595000.