Travel agents warn of strike

The Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) sounded the alarm on Thursday, warning of a daylong symbolic strike if the government did not take remedial measures to address the issue facing the travel agents.

Speaking at a press conference TAAP representatives said that the government had stopped the travel agents’ payments to foreign airlines, raising fears that those airlines might suspend their operations in Pakistan.

“Airlines have changed their policies because their payments have been stopped,” said, Nadeem Sharif, former chairman of TAAP. He warned that about 100,000 people will become jobless if the Pakistan operations of foreign airlines stopped.

Stating that foreign carriers had reduced the number of flights for Pakistan, he warned that the country’s tourism and cargo handling would be affected if the flight operations were suspended. “The government should take foreign carriers into confidence.”

The former TAAP chairman told reporters that Pakistani consumers were buying tickets directly on the web portals of foreign airlines and the airlines received payments for tickets made through credit cards in 15 days.

Besides, he said that International Air Transport Association (IATA) had increased the financial guarantee by 20%, adding that because of that increase bank charges had also gone up by 80%.

On the occasion, TAAP Vice Chairman Muhammad Raza said that the travel trade has suffered a disaster, adding that the association had written several letters to SBP and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on this issue.

In the coming days he said, the foreign airlines would further reduce their operations. Besides, the rising value of the dollar had forced the airlines to hike their fares. He added they had complained to the Civil Aviation Authority but it had no solution to the issue.