Licence of two pilots suspended: PIA-PALPA row leads to cancellation of 21 flights

Licence of two pilots - Captain I. Kaleem and Captain Zahid - have been suspended by Civil Aviation Authority and not by PIA, for one and two years respectively, after an inquiry conducted for unlawfully operating flight without permission. A press release of PIA issued here on Thursday said: "Due to this irresponsible attitude of PALPA at a crucial time, Haj flight schedule will also be affected and PALPA would be directly responsible for any misery caused to the Hujjaj, including those injured in Mina stampede.
"In the guise of its agenda, PALPA leadership is blackmailing the management to agree to unjust promotions and unjustified benefits for PALPA executives; PALPA is threatening pilots, asking them to refuse flights at the last minute, thereby disrupting flights' schedule as management has to find an alternative at a very short notice.
"PALPA executives are pressurising pilots to report sick by threatening to suspend their membership of the association, which results in cancellation of PALPA's own insurance of pilots worth millions of rupees. This insurance is in addition to the insurance cover provided by PIA itself to all the pilots across the board, which is also worth millions of rupees.
"PALPA's (act) of inciting pilots to report sick at the last minute tantamount to going on strike is illegal. PIA management is constantly engaged with PALPA to amicably resolve the matter at the earliest," the release added. It further stated: "Today PIA had to operate flights on 125 sectors, but due to PALPA's (act) of inciting pilots to go on strike, 21 flights have been cancelled, so far. Call centre of PIA is informing passengers through phone and SMS. "Under pressure from PALPA, 14 pilots have refused, so far, to operate flights today, causing disruption in PIA's flight schedule," it added. PIA management requested pilots to put country's interest first.-PR