KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines remained closed for the second day of protests by the employees against the proposed privatisation of the national-flag carrier as all domestic and international flights were cancelled.
PIA employees resumed their protest outside major airports across the country, which came as the federal government invoked the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952, in the PIA for six months.
All the domestic and international flights from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport were cancelled. “All PIA flights have been suspended indefinitely,” said a PIA inquiry representative at Lahore airport.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman Pervez George said that the authority has requested private carrier Airblue to schedule additional flights between major cities to accommodate passengers after cancellation of PIA flights. Meanwhile, PIA Joint Action Committee (JAC) spokesman Nasrullah Khan said employees had resumed protest outside all major airports in the country and there has been no change in their demands.
