By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines, the beleaguered national carrier, ground to a halt on Monday when aircraft engineers halted technical certifications over safety concerns, stranding thousands of passengers and prompting airline officials to accuse the group of orchestrating a deliberate effort to derail the government’s push to privatise the company.
The disruption, which led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across domestic and international routes, came as the privatisation process entered its final stages, a critical component of Pakistan’s $7 billion bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund. “The main objective of this movement is to sabotage the ongoing process of PIA’s privatisation, which is now in its final stages,” Abdullah Hafeez Khan, a spokesman for the airline, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan, known as SEAP, stopped issuing airworthiness certificates, effectively grounding multiple aircraft and throwing travel plans into disarray. The action dealt a severe blow to the airline, which has long struggled with financial losses and operational challenges.
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.
However, the SAEP stated there was no strike from their side and the engineers were only adhering to mandatory safety and certification protocols.
SAEP member, however, denied that the society was staging a strike. They insisted that the engineers were only adhering to mandatory safety and certification protocols as per their responsibilities.
“Unfortunately, instead of addressing long-pending professional and financial concerns, the PIA management has chosen to label lawful compliance as disruption, which is misleading,” they said.
In a statement, a PIA spokesman described the engineers’ sudden work stoppage as an attempt to disrupt flight operations and inconvenience passengers in order to pressure the administration. “The SEAP has no legal standing. Using safety as an excuse to collectively stop work is a planned attempt to derail PIA’s privatisation,” the spokesman said, adding that the airline’s operations fall under the Essential Services Act, making such strikes or walkouts a punishable offence.
The government’s renewed effort to sell PIA follows an initial failed attempt and represents the country’s first major privatisation in about two decades. Divestment of loss-making state enterprises forms a central element of the bailout secured last year. Four companies have participated in the privatisation process: Arif Habib Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company, Air Blue and Lucky Group.
The PIA spokesman said legal action would be initiated against all individuals involved in or supporting the illegal activity. “All such elements will be dealt with according to the law,” he stated. The airline management is arranging alternative engineering services from other airlines, and all flights will soon be dispatched, the spokesman added. “PIA’s operations are moving towards restoration.”
Among the flights that were successfully dispatched were PK-245 from Islamabad to Dammam and PK-761 from Islamabad to Jeddah, while several others that had faced delays were also cleared for departure. According to the airline, the unlawful work stoppage led to delays and cancellations of some flights, including international routes. Flight PK-747 from Lahore to Madinah departed after a 14-hour delay, while PK-761 from Karachi to Jeddah and PK-233 from Islamabad to Dubai departed after 12 and 9 hours, respectively.
Flights PK-245 from Islamabad to Dammam and PK-755 from Sialkot to Riyadh faced seven-hour delays, while PK-741 from Islamabad to Jeddah and PK-300 from Karachi to Islamabad were delayed by six and four hours. “To manage the operational load, a total of five flights were cancelled, but all passengers were offered alternative travel options,” read the statement, adding that flight schedules were gradually returning to normal.
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