PIA restores flight ops after disruption attempt

KARACHI:

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Tuesday that its flight operations were "on way to normalisation" after a late-night disruption attempt by what it called a "derecognised entity".

A PIA spokesperson said that "a derecognised entity (SEAP), in order to pressurize the airline's management, tried to halt the operations during late hours of yesterday night with their nefarious design to sabotage the privatisation process".

He added that the airline's management team and key officials from the Engineering Division "responded immediately, using alternative means and working tirelessly overnight to restore operations and minimise the impact on already delayed flights."

According to the spokesman, "after adjustment of revised slots and crew arrangements, PIA flights PK783 Karachi-Toronto and PK701 Islamabad-Manchester departed on time".

"Seven flights departed with delays, these flights included PK747 Lahore-Madinah operated with a delay of 14 hours, PK761 Karachi-Jeddah operated with a delay of 12 hours, PK300 Karachi-Islamabad four hours, PK741 Islamabad-Madinah six hours delay, PK233 Islamabad-Dubai nine hours delay, PK245 Islamabad-Dammam seven hours and PK755 Sialkot-Riyadh operated with a delay seven hours".

The spokesperson added that meanwhile, 5 flights were cancelled by readjusting the passengers, and alternates were offered to the valued passengers.

He added that flight operations are being fully restored "and customer convenience is our utmost priority".