Information about the recent exodus of pilots due to large pay cutbacks in the form of hefty taxes was provided to the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation.
The committee was informed by PIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Amir Hayat, that 15 pilots had lately departed the country and that the Supreme Court had not yet heard an appeal on the employment of young male employees for the national flag carrier.
The head of the committee, Senator Hidayatullah, said that the future of aspiring pilots was in danger. He requested that the Senate Finance Committee raise the matter with the FBR on his behalf.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CIA) informed the Senate committee on the causes of the drop in international airline routes.
Director of CAA General Khaqan Murtaza stated that no significant decrease in the summer schedule had occurred despite 31 foreign airlines applying for operations to and from Pakistan with a total of 576 weekly frequencies from all international airports in Pakistan.
The committee questioned why international airlines did not let customers to pay for tickets using rupees. According to Murtaza, travellers are purchasing tickets for international airlines from far-off areas using VPNs or other methods, and the prices are generally lower than those for tickets purchased in Pakistan.
The committee instructed the CAA to present a thorough report on the situation at the following meeting.
The committee also addressed the suspension of PIA pilots’ license. The CAA informed the committee that 141 pilot certificates were flagged as questionable. The breakdown revealed that 18 pilots were not PIA employees, while another 18 were dismissed from their jobs after CAA suspended or cancelled their licenses, 16 were deceased and divorced, two pilots were subject to stay orders, and the other 87 were later cleared by CAA.
It was also discussed the issue of PIA personnel hired with false degrees. The PIA director claimed that workers accused of possessing false degrees had been fired as a result; nevertheless, the Senate special committee on impacted personnel reinstated the employees’ positions.
The head of the PIA informed the gathering that 15 pilots had lately departed the country and that the Supreme Court had received a petition requesting the employment of young workers for the PIA, but it had not yet been heard.
The Senate body also discussed the issue of two Airbus A320 that have been grounded in Indonesia for the past year and are estimated to be worth $20 billion.
The PIA CEO assured the group that both aircraft’s re-delivery work had been finished to 82 and 92 percent, respectively, and that they would be arriving in Pakistan by the end of June.
