PIA and PALPA standoff: Multiple flights cancelled, passengers in limbo

KARACHI: Pakistan International (PIA) is once again in dire straits due to a stand-off between the Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA) and the airline management.

Since the issue boiled over on Thursday the 1st of October over two dozen flights were cancelled due unavailability of pilots and nearly four dozen flights were delayed, but the problem had been simmering for some time.

With thousands of passengers affected, the airline will surely suffer losses running into millions. PALPA claims this is a result of mismanagement by PIA bosses.

The associations President, Captain Amir Hashmi speaking to Geo.tv blamed the airline management’s inability to train pilots while still adding aircraft to the fleet.

PALPA had been extending waivers on a daily basis to PIA in the form of pilots flying beyond the stipulated flight duty time limitation (FDTL), Hashmi said.

“It is not ethically or morally possible for us to continue extending favours to the airline management” Hashmi told Geo.tv adding “Our pilots extend favours and are then penalized for doing so.”

Just such a case is that of Captain I. Kaleem and Captain Zahid who were suspended for one and two years respectively for violating the FDTL.

PALPA disclosed, while operating a flight from Sialkot to Riyadh and back, the two pilots informed PIA that the round trip would take him beyond the flight duty time limitation.

According to sources, the captain was instructed to fly first to Karachi where a second crew would board and then the flight would carry on to Riyadh.

When the captain informed the passengers of this change in flight plans, PALPA sources claim, they were enraged and threatened to break down the cockpit door if the flight was taken to Karachi.

The crew, according to PALPA, was issued fresh instructions to continue to Riyadh even though it would be in violation of the flight duty time limitation. Following orders the pilots took the flight to Riyadh but were later served suspensions by the CAA for doing so.

In order to avoid such FDTL violations the pilots association claims it has been demanding the implementation of the PALPA-PIAC Working Agreement 2013-2015.

PALPA claims management jeopardizing flight safety

PALPA adds, that while a draft of the agreement had been submitted to the airline management, instead of holding discussions the airline management adopted measures which directly put flight safety at risk.

One such measure according to PALPA sources is the hiring of pilots on contract despite the PIA chairman’s statement in a press conference that PALPA would be consulted on the matter.

Contractual pilots, PALPA claims can be easily pressurized by authorities to bypass regulations because of their temporary employment status ultimately jeopardizing flight safety.

When asked how long the current stand off will continue, the PALPA president responded that it would continue until their demands are met, which include the implementation of the ‘working agreement’ and certain issues regarding illegal appointments in the airline.

PIA says it is being blackmailed by PALPA

In a statement issued on Thursday, the national carrier put the entire blame on PALPA leadership, which the airline claims is “blackmailing the management to agree to unjust promotions and unjustified benefits for PALPA executives.”

While the statement claims “PIA management is constantly engaged with PALPA to amicably resolve the matter at the earliest”, the airlines top executives are in Dubai.

PIA has also claimed that out of 125 flights that the airline was to operate on Thursday the 1st of October, 21 were cancelled due to PALPA asking pilots “to refuse flights at the last minute, disrupting flight schedules” which the PIA says resulted in the cancellations.

PIA highlighted that due to “the irresponsible attitude of PALPA at a crucial time, [the] Hajj flight schedule will also be affected and PALPA would be directly responsible for any misery caused to the Hujjaj, including those who are injured.”

To fix the airline, have to take hard decisions

Speaking exclusively to Geo.tv, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Aviation Captain Shujaat Azeem said “PALPA is an association, they are there for the welfare of the pilots and we have always been talking to them, to talk about the welfare of the pilots, but they [PALPA] cannot be the managers and cannot be telling who to hire and whom to fire.”

Azeem said, their main demand is the removal of the Director Flight Operations (DFO), which he added, is likely because the DFO is not listening to PALPA’s demands.

“They came to me and requested to sign the working agreement, which we are very happy to sign but it cannot be done like this,” at the same time stressing that “If we have to fix the airline, then we have to take hard decisions.”

He complained, that PALPA is demanding which pilot should be posted on which aircraft and which pilot should be sent on which course. He added that according to the current working agreement pilots and engineers enjoy free business class travel and even their families enjoy unlimited travel.

“When regular passengers come to purchase tickets, they are told that the seats are already booked,” said Azeem and in turn posed a question of his own, “is it wrong to ask those seats to be left vacant for paying passengers?”

PALPA’s joint secretary Rifat Hussain vehemently denied the allegation about postings and courses, but admitted that pilots do enjoy the privilege of free business-class travel. He added that if the airline is willing to compensate for the withdrawal of the existing perk PALPA is willing to discuss it.

Another complaint that comes from the Aviation advisor is the association’s attempts to manipulate flight rosters through people appointed at their behest – this too PALPA has denied.

Ultimate Losers

By Friday the PIA management had summoned a meeting with all member associations, but interestingly PALPA was left out.

PALPA claims it will not budge from the stand it has taken, the airline has requested “pilots to put country’s interest first” and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Aviation says hard decisions need to be taken. In the standoff between PALPA and PIA the ultimate losers are the passengers who have paid good money but are left hanging in limbo.