Due to a severe operational crisis that has hit Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), its aircraft engineers have stopped providing ‘airworthy’ clearances for flights, and as such, the airline has come to a grinding halt in their nationwide operations. As a result of the protest, all international flights scheduled after 8 PM on Monday were grounded, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at major airports, including Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.
Sources say at least 12 scheduled flights have been affected so far, including those carrying Umrah pilgrims.
Engineers Cite Eight Years Without Pay Hike
The SAEP has refused to budge, with a firm stand that none of its members will resume work without the assurance of grievance redressal from the airline’s CEO. The union accuses management of neglecting their complaints for the past two months.
The major complaints from engineers are serious:
No Increase in Salaries: They claim they have not received any salary increase for the past eight years.
Safety Compromise: They also claim that management is pressuring them to clear flights despite the severe shortage of essential spare parts.
This is what the union said about safety: “We cannot carry out the orders of management by jeopardizing the lives of the passengers.”
CEO Labels Strike ‘Illegal,’ Alleges Sabotage
In response, the PIA CEO has quickly declared the strike “illegal,” citing it as a contravention of the Pakistan Essential Services Act 1952.
He further claimed that this protest by the engineers is aimed at damaging the ongoing privatization process of the airline.
Meanwhile, the carrier’s management is trying to arrange engineering support from other carriers with the hope of restarting flight operations as early as possible. However, the entire PIA flight schedule is still grounded; there is no indication when it will return to normal.
Passengers Stranded Nationwide
The unprecedented stoppage has caused chaos at major international terminals. With operations paralyzed both on the domestic and international sectors, hundreds of travelers remain stranded without clear onward travel solutions, complicating the already critical financial situation of the airline.
