Supreme Court permits
Pakistan International Airlines to hire 205 skilled workers
In a recent ruling, the
Supreme Court of Pakistan granted permission to Pakistan International Airlines
(PIA) to hire 205 new skilled employees, while deferring the recruitment of 45
others.
A two-judge bench
comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ayesha A Malik heard the
case filed
by PIA, which sought approval to recruit 250 pilots, cabin crew members, IT
specialists, and finance and management officials.
Since March 31, 2018, the
Supreme Court had imposed a ban on new recruitment in the airline.
Earlier this year, PIA
approached the top court to expedite the hearing of its plea, citing the urgent
need to hire 250 employees. In its application, the national carrier
highlighted several vacant positions that needed to be filled to ensure smooth
operations.
A report submitted by PIA
revealed that the ban on recruitment since 2018 had resulted in an increase in
the average age of existing employees to 45.2 years. The lack of new hires had
created a shortage of operational crew and employees with contemporary skill
sets necessary to advance the national flag carrier's commercial operations.
The report also mentioned
that PIA recently entered into a code-sharing arrangement with Turkish
Airlines, which would require increased flight frequency for smooth operations.
The airline projected an annual revenue of Rs205 billion for 2023 as a result
of this code-share agreement.
In the recent ruling, the
Supreme Court allowed PIA to proceed with the recruitment of pilots, cabin
crew, and IT specialists. The decision provides some relief to the airline as
it strives to address its operational needs and improve its service quality.