Mismanagement at PIA invites NA committee’s ire

ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly panel on Thursday summoned the PIA chairman and aviation officials in its next meeting to explain the airline’s mismanagement related to handling luggage and allocation of seats to PIA staff.

The issue was raised in the NA Standing Committee on Rules and Procedure by PML-N MNA Bilal Ahmed Virk.

Virk said he reserved seats for himself and his family on a PIA flight headed for New York but when he boarded the plane, the airline had allocated the same seats to PIA staffers. He said he and his family were provided alternative seats.

The MNA added that on his return flight from New York to Lahore, most of the valuables in his luggage were missing. The missing items included expensive watches and shoes.

“When we checked our luggage back at home, the zips of our bags were damaged” Virk said. He immediately reported the matter to the PIA chairman, but is still waiting for a response from him.

The issue was deferred till next meeting of the committee since PIA chairman did not attend the meeting.  The committee took strong notice of mistreatment of parliamentarians by the national carrier and summoned PIA chairman and high-ups of civil aviation to appear before the committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2016.