KARACHI – The actual bone of contention between the management of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and its pilots’ association is the proposed sale of the Boeing 777 fleet which is being lobbied for by Managing Director Ijaz Haroon.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the PIA MD has failed to secure a bailout package from the government, and his plan of selling the 777 fleet is ostensibly aimed at offsetting the huge losses of the national flag carrier. The PIA management has argued that the routes on which the 777 fleet operates are loss-incurring ones, and hence an agreement was reached at with the Turkish Airlines.
This also entails that the 777 fleet now has no value, and it is better that these aircraft be sold. “The potential worth of the 777 fleet, which consists of eight aircraft, is 800 million dollars. Each plane has a value of 200 million dollars, and this makes the MD’s intentions suspect,” sources explained to Pakistan Today. The pilots’ association, PALPA, thus fears that the PIA’s proposed agreement with Turkish Airlines and the sale of the 777 fleet is likely to reduce the number of jobs currently on offer for pilots.
Sources further informed Pakistan Today that the Haroon lost the presidential seat in the last PALPA polls, but when he later became the MD, he has created an antagonistic relationship with PALPA. PALPA, on its part, is also trying its level best to maintain its position as each permanent pilot receives more than Rs 600,000 every month in salaries, and even more of flights are delayed, sources said.
After six pilots were suspended by the PIA management, PIA reserved pilots have been summoned into service to maintain operations. These pilots had signed two-year contracts with the airlines to serve PIA even after their retirement, sources said.
