PIA Chairman asks pilots to end strike

KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Nasir Jaffar on Friday appealed pilots’ association to end the strike and discuss the matter by sitting together so that the demands could be settled.

Addressing a press conference here, Nasir Jafafr said, “Doors are open for talks, the matter should be resolved smartly rather than emotionally”.

He also apologised from the pilgrims and passengers for inconvenience. “We would run special flights for the affected passengers and send them through other flights”, he said.

The Chairman said PIA was trying to end the issues at earliest Pakistan.

Pakistan International Airlines (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.”