PIA Board unable to decide
increase in salaries amid financial challenges
In a recent meeting held on
Tuesday, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Board of Directors could not
come to a decision regarding the increment of salaries for the employees of the
national flag carrier. The reason behind the non-approval was attributed to the
current financial difficulties being faced by the airline.
In June, the Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA) had raised the flying allowance of pilots by 35%.
During the meeting, the
board was briefed on the restructuring plans for the national carrier, which
received approval. As part of the restructuring strategy, the board directed
the formulation of a plan that would be divided into two segments:
The first part would
involve dealing with loans, non-core departments, and streamlining the
workforce by addressing "unnecessary" positions.
The second part would focus
on essential departments, profitable assets, and retaining a limited number of
employees.
Eventually, the first part
of the restructuring plan is expected to be phased out.
The board members expressed
satisfaction with the efforts made by the airline to resume flights to Europe,
the UK, and the US. In September of this year, a team from the European
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is scheduled to conduct a physical audit of both
the national carrier and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Furthermore, the meeting
also included discussions on in-flight entertainment plans for PIA planes,
which are set to meet international standards.
The airline's flights to
Europe were suspended since June 2020 following an incident where flight
PK-8303 crashed in Karachi on May 22, 2020. Subsequently, the grounding of 262
pilots suspected of exam irregularities further complicated the situation.
However, with recent amendments to aviation laws, the government aims to
resolve past issues and lift the suspension of flight operations to Europe and
other destinations.
Federal Aviation Minister
Khawaja Saad Rafique mentioned that the PIA is likely to resume flights to the
UK within the next three months, following the removal of the final obstacle
through new legislation passed this week.
Source: Express Tribune