21 PIA flights cancelled due to protest by pilots

KARACHI: Twenty-one PIA flights — domestic as well as international — were cancelled on Thursday due to a protest drive by pilots, said a spokesman for the airline.
The spokesman said PIA was to operate flights on 125 sectors on October 1, 2015, but due to PALPA’s (the representative association of the pilots) “move of inciting pilots to go on strike”, 21 flights had to be cancelled.
The airline informed the passengers through phone calls and messaging services about the cancellation of their flights.
The spokesman said that being under pressure from PALPA, 14 pilots refused to operate flights on Oct. 1, 2015, disrupting the PIA flight schedule.
The management of PIA had requested the pilots to put the country’s interest first and operate the flights according to the schedule.
The pilots of PIA have staged the strike against suspension of licenses of two of their fellow pilots by the Civil Aviation Authority.
The statement issued by PIA’s spokesman said: “The licences of two PIA pilots, Capt. I. Kaleem and Capt. Zahid, have been suspended by the Civil Aviation Authority and not by PIA.”
The licence of Capt. I. Kaleem was suspended for a year and that of Capt. Zahid for two years after inquiries were conducted against them for having operated some flights without permission, the spokesman said.
“PALPA is said to be responsible for this attitude of the pilots, particularly at a crucial time, since the Haj flight schedule is also being affected. PALPA would be directly responsible for any misery caused to the Hujjaj, including those injured,” said the statement issued by the PIA.
The cancellation included at least five PIA flights which were supposed to either originate from the Jinnah International Airport at Karachi or to land there.
These included PK-583 from Islamabad to Karachi via Rahim Yar Khan; PK-305 from Lahore to Karachi; PK-536 Sukkur-Mohenjo Daro-Karachi; PK-537 Karachi-Mohenjo Daro-Sukkur; and PK-208 from Dubai to Karachi.
Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Civil Aviation Authority and others on a lawsuit of a pilot against proceedings initiated against him with regard to violation of safety standard of aviation.
Plaintiff Captain Zahid Rehman Brolla submitted in the lawsuit that the Civil Aviation Authority had issued a show-cause notice to him on September 9, accusing him of violating the flying hours limit. The plaintiff’s counsel, Mohammad Ali Lakhani, submitted that the plaintiff responded to the show-cause notice on September 17 denying all allegations.
However, the defendant issued another notice for personal hearing on September 28 which he received on late hours of September 27 and he sought adjournment of hearing for some reasonable time.
The counsel apprehended that because of absence of the plaintiff in the personal hearing, the defendant might take some coercive measures against him without giving him an opportunity of hearing. He sought injunction against the defendant restraining them from taking any coercive action against him.
The court issued a notice to the CAA for October 13 and in the meantime directed the aviation authority to proceed against the plaintiff in accordance with the law but no final order shall be passed against him.
The court further observed that in case the final order has been passed, then the same shall not be implemented against the plaintiff till the next date of hearing, clarifying that an ad-interim order is subject to the participation of the plaintiff in the inquiry proceedings in question.