Apex Court rejects PIA’s request of urgent permission of 250 inductions including 80 pilots

ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 (SABAH): The Supreme Court of Pakistan has turned down the request of immediate permission of 250 inductions including 80 pilots in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday conducted hearing on a petition filed in connection with permission of making appointments in PIA.

The national flag carrier of Pakistan had sought permission of further 250 inductions from the court. The court while summoning details, observed that how the new employees would be given salaries, stating on which positions they will have to be inducted as well as for which motives it was being requested for. The court asked the authorities concerned to be briefed about the business plan and revenue details.

The apex court turned down the request of immediate permission of 250 inductions including 80 pilots in PIA and also summoned details of routes for new planes as well as the payments.

Hearing the case, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi remarked that all routes of PIA for Europe, US and Canada had already been shut whereas no one wants to higher PIA domestic flights. Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that hiring new 80 pilots would be of no use as there were 30 planes in total.

PIA’s counsel Salman Akram Raja arguing before the court stated the national flag carrier wanted to purchase five new planes but the Supreme Court had clamped restrictions on induction in 2018 and further revealed that it (induction) was allowed only during pilgrimage operations in 2019.

He further argued before the court the PIA could not make appointments on its own due to the apex courts’ orders on the matter besides more than 6,000 employees were fired since 2018. 

PIA’s chief financial officer further briefed the court that they had 370 pilots in total wherein 34 had resigned. He stated PIA earned Rs 154 billion during 11 months whereas all the expenditures of present operations were being born by them.

To this Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that financial officer had portrayed the situation in a beautiful manner but the actual situation was otherwise as the institution was being hardly run. He further inquired from the financial officer that how the planes would be purchased as this situation ultimately will force the institution to request the government for approving grant. The court adjourned further hearing of the case till first week of January.