PIA board undecided on salary raise of workers

LAHORE:

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Board of Directors’ meeting on Tuesday was unable to reach a decision on increasing the salaries of the national flag carrier’s employees.

Sources said the increments were not approved because of the financial difficulties being faced by the airline.

The board of directors was briefed on the restructuring of the national carrier – a move that was given the nod.

The PIA Board of Directors issued directives to chalk out a plan for the airline’s restructuring.

According to the sources, the restructuring plan would be divided into two parts.

Loans, non-core departments, and “unnecessary” employees would be kept in one part.

The other part would include aircraft, profitable assets, and essential departments.

In the second part of the restructuring plan, only a limited number of employees would be kept.

The sources added that the first part of the plan would eventually be done away with.

The board of directors expressed its satisfaction over the steps taken by the airline for the resumption of flights to Europe, the UK, and the US.

It was informed that a team of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would land in Pakistan in September this year for a physical audit of the national carrier as well as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and arrangements had been completed for the purpose.

The board was also given a briefing on the in-flight entertainment plans for the PIA planes.

According to the sources, the in-flight entertainment system on the PIA planes would be based on international standards.

According to the sources, the EASA cleared the PIA in its remote audit conducted a few months ago.

After the success of the final audit, the PIA flights to Europe would be restored.

The resumption of operations in Europe would be extremely beneficial for the PIA.

The national carrier has been banned from flying to European countries since June 2020.

The PIA landed in hot water in the wake of its flight PK-8303 crashing in Karachi on May 22, 2020, and the subsequent announcement by the then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the grounding of 262 airline pilots suspected of dodging their exams.

The government’s recent decision to amend aviation laws came as a direct response to the EU’s demand to rectify past deficiencies leading to the suspension of flight operations to Europe and other destinations in the wake of the fake pilot licence scandal of 2020.

Sources in the ruling alliance revealed that the government bowed to the EU’s pressure, deciding to enact two laws – the Pakistan Civil Aviation Act, 2023, and the Pakistan Airports Authority Act, 2023 – so that the skies might soon see a return of the national glag carrier’s flights to Europe and beyond.

Insiders revealed that the National Assembly’s swift passage of aviation bills was at the EU’s behest as the government was eager to reconnect and resume flight operations to Europe, the UK, the US and other nations.

On Friday, Federal Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the PIA was likely to resume flights to the UK in the next three months.

The minister informed the NA that new legislation this week had removed the final hurdle for the PIA to fly to the UK.