By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of air travellers, including many Umrah pilgrims bound for Saudi Arabia, were stranded at three major airports on Monday night after aircraft engineers at Pakistan International Airlines staged a walkout, delaying at least six flights and bringing international operations to a near halt.
The disruption at the airports in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi marked the latest escalation in a simmering dispute between the national flag carrier’s management and its engineers, who have been protesting for months over demands for pay hikes and other issues. Similar delays have plagued nearly all major airports in Pakistan over the last two months, officials said.
The engineers, represented by the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan, have refused to issue airworthiness clearances for aircraft, grounding planes and leaving passengers in limbo. Since around 8 pm on Monday, not a single international flight of the airline has been able to depart, with 12 international flights affected.
A large number of the stranded passengers are Umrah pilgrims, whose flights to Saudi Arabia were among those delayed. The engineers’ protest has its roots in longstanding grievances. Members of the society have been wearing black armbands for almost two and a half months to press their demands, but even during this long, peaceful protest, the airline’s management didn’t bother to sit down and talk to them.
Society leaders said the engineers haven’t received a raise in eight years, and the airline is facing a serious shortage of spare parts. They alleged that engineers are coerced into clearing aircraft for flights in breach of aviation rules. Its members would not return to work until the airline’s chief executive changed his attitude. “They’ve stopped issuing airworthiness clearance for the aircraft,” it added. The society said it could not put passengers’ lives at risk due to pressure from the airline’s management.
The walkout has drawn a sharp response from the airline’s leadership. The chief executive of the national airline has ordered strict action against the aircraft engineers. He said any engineer responsible for disrupting operations will face tough measures.
A spokesperson for the national airline said the aircraft engineers’ body held no legal standing, and “the real aim of this movement is to sabotage the airline’s privatisation.”He said calling it a “safety issue” and walking off the job at the same time was a deliberate act meant to trouble passengers and create unfair pressure on the administration.
“The Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952, is in force at the national airline, which makes strikes or walkouts illegal,” the chief executive said, adding that those taking part in or supporting such actions will face legal consequences. He also said that the management was arranging engineering support from other airlines, and flights would begin departing soon
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