ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started flight operation despite strike by the employees of the national flag carrier as two PIA flights carrying 725 Umrah pilgrims from Jeddah landed at the Benazir International Airport Islamabad.
PIA spokesman Daniyal Gilani said that flight operations have partially initiated and will pick up in the coming week. He said that the protests have cost about Rs2.5 billion loss to date. He added that the PIA staff returning to duty is being welcomed and provided ample security.
Meanwhile, a PIA plane carried passengers from Islamabad to Gilgit while another flight airlifted passengers from Gilgit to Islamabad. Flights PK 4232 and PK 605 departed for Abu Dhabi and Gilgit from Islamabad airport on Sunday morning, while flights PK 4231 and 606 arrived at Islamabad airport from Abu Dhabi and the Gilgit and Jeddah-Islamabad flight PK 7330 landed at the airport around 2:37pm, flight data shows.
On the other hand, the PIA employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) has resolved to continue their protest against the government’s plans to privatise the national flag carrier. JAC Chairman Captain Sohail Baloch warned of marching towards the Jinnah Terminal on Monday (today) if the ‘missing employees’ were not found.
Speaking to media representatives in Karachi, he said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should not make PIA an issue of his ego and called for immediately initiating a dialogue in view of what he termed was the hardship being faced by people due to the closure of flight operations.
