PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

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Abbas Ali
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PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Abbas Ali »

PIA is seeking permission from the Supreme Court of Pakistan to hire 250 employees including pilots. The airline is facing shortage of pilots.

PIA workforce has been reduced by 5,793 employees from 2018 to 2022. The increasing average age of PIA employees is affecting performance airline operations.

PIA also has submitted its five-year financial/business plan to the Supreme Court.

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Abbas Ali
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Abbas Ali »

PIA has submitted a report including airline's five-year financial plan prepared by International Air Transport Association (IATA) to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

On December 17, the Supreme Court had rejected PIA plea seeking permission to recruit 200 employees, including 80 pilots. The court had asked PIA to submit a detailed report in this regard.

In year 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan imposed ban on hiring of employees in PIA.

Report submitted to the court claims that PIA is facing an extreme shortage of professional and skilled employees in the areas of flight operations, services, information technology (IT) and finance.

Total separation of employees in PIA since 2018 is 5,793 out of which 1,199 employees pertain to flight operations (pilots), flight services (cabin crew), finance, and IT department. No fresh hiring has been made whereas our immediate requirement is 250 employees for the year 2023.

Due to restriction imposed by the Supreme Court since year 2018, PIA is unable to induct fresh blood, resulting in an increase in the average age of its existing employees to 45.2 years. This has created a deficiency of operational crew and new employees having the latest technological-cum-corporate knowledge with the contemporary skillset required to uplift the national flag carrier to an era of advancement and innovative strategic commercial operations.

PIA recently arranged codesharing partnership with Turkish Airlines. Increase in the frequency of flights would be a key requirement for running operations smoothly. As an outcome of the codeshare arrangement with Turkish Airlines, PIA is projecting an annual revenue of PKR 205 billion for the year 2023.

The fresh induction of manpower is critical for the achievement of the projected revenue. Moreover, IATA in its plan has also recommended to PIA for enhancement of fleet and a corresponding increase in human resources based on competence.

Despite the lack of support from the government, the PIA had been able to acquire one Airbus A320 simulator and added four A320 aircraft to its fleet in year 2022.

A total of 22 weekly flights to the UK and six weekly flights to the European Union (EU) could not be added due to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspension; remote audit planned on March 7, 2023 subsequent to which operations to these destinations are likely to resume depending on the outcome.

Domestic traffic would grow from 3.2 million passengers in 2022 to 4.6 million in 2026 (PIA market share = 54%).

International traffic would grow from 10.7 million passengers in 2022 to 19.1 million in 2026 (PIA market share = 27%) with major market expansion in Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, Canada, US, Australia, Afghanistan, Central Asian States, Malaysia and Turkey.

Due to an increase in domestic and international passenger traffic, additional pilots and cabin crew will be required, to manage the increased flight operations.

100 additional pilots and first officers were still less than the current requirement and the PIA was barely managing its flight operations whereby the duty limitation requirement waiver was requested from Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) most of the time. This results in delays and flight schedule disturbance whereby commercial interest and company's brand is affected negatively.

Moreover, four A320 aircraft have been added into the fleet at the same time. The delta of variations of pilots vs aircraft have adversely affected the flight operations; therefore, statistically, due to unavailability and shortage of pilots, 29 flights were cancelled in the month of December resulting in serious revenue and reputational loss.

In the post-COVID-19 situation, because of the expansion of flight operations, airlines were attracting pilots with heavy salaries, which PIA could not match.

Currently, 12 No Objection Certificate (NOC) for jobs and 12 applications for resignations/early retirement are already submitted by the PIA pilots, who are now on the verge of separation.

In 2023, 13 more separations are expected due to superannuation of age. Even if the ban is lifted on recruitment of hiring of cockpit crew, PIA still needs 3 to 6-month time for the training of rated pilots and more than nine months to one year is required for cadet pilots until the first flight.

Hiring of 80 pilots was the bare minimum requirement for the year 2023, and the induction process was required to be started at the earliest.

Since the imposition of the restrain by the Supreme Court, around 109 pilots have been separated from PIA service.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required that an operator establish the minimum number of cabin crew required for each aircraft type in its fleet. The goal of this requirement is to allow for a safe and expeditious evacuation of the aircraft, and to enable cabin crew to carry out the necessary functions to be performed in an emergency or a situation requiring emergency evacuation.

To meet the operational challenges, there was a dire need to recruit professional and skilled manpower in operational areas on a priority basis and the strength required.
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Saad Mir
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Saad Mir »

Is there any update on this? Wasn't the court adjourned til 19 January 2023 for next hearing on this matter?
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Abbas Ali »

On March 6, National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation was informed:

PIA is facing a shortage of senior pilots due to a policy of taxing their salaries by 40 percent.

The committee expressed serious concerns regarding the under-employment of pilots in the airline.

https://epaper.brecorder.com/2023/03/07 ... -news.html
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aircraftdriver93
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by aircraftdriver93 »

Early Hearing Petition was filed from the management of PIA for the recruitment case which was fixed on 19th January but was adjourned by the Supreme Court. Since then it was not fixed.

This is very alarming situation!!!
Abbas Ali wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:13 pm On March 6, National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation was informed:

PIA is facing a shortage of senior pilots due to a policy of taxing their salaries by 40 percent.

The committee expressed serious concerns regarding the under-employment of pilots in the airline.

https://epaper.brecorder.com/2023/03/07 ... -news.html
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Abbas Ali »

On June 20, Supreme Court will the hear the case in which PIA is seeking court permission to hire 250 employees including pilots.

Supreme Court imposed ban on employee hiring in PIA in year 2019.

https://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPup ... e=20230617

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Haris777
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Haris777 »

Any updates on the hearing?
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Karachi Aviator »

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned representatives of auditor companies of national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsen heard a plea of the PIA seeking permission to recruit some 250 employees, including pilots.

During the course of hearing, Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the PIA, submitted that in pursuance of court’s last order, they have submitted replies to the court queries regarding the business plan, revenue generation and routes of planes.

Justice Ijazul Ahsen inquired about the volume of planes as well as crew members of the national flag carrier. The additional attorney general told the court that at present there are some 31 planes with 341 crew members. The PIA finance head told the court that due to shortage of staff, they cannot operate flights on some routes. Justice Ahsen asked whether the PIA was earning profits and as to how much grants it takes from the government.

The PIA representative submitted that the organisation has deficit of approximately Rs383 billion, adding that during the last financial year, it faced deficit of Rs88 billion The additional AG told the court that the performance of the national flag carrier remained sound during the past nine months. Later, the court summoned audit companies on the next date of hearing and adjourned the matter until July 5.

Last year, during the course of hearing, the PIA counsel had sought permission for more recruitment, stating that the airlines wanted to purchase five more airplanes. He had submitted that the airline could not make further recruitments without the permission of the apex court, as the court had put an embargo on hiring in 2018. He had submitted that the apex court had allowed the recruitment for Hajj operations in 2019. However, Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi had observed that the PIA routes to Europe, the US, and Canada had already been closed while people were least bothered to travel domestically on the national flag carrier. Justice Ahsen questioned as why the national flag carrier is recruiting 80 pilots despite only having 30 planes.

In response to the court’s query, the PIA chief financial officer had submitted that 34 out of 370 pilots at the airline had resigned. Furthermore, PIA earned Rs154 billion in the first 11 months of the year and had borne all operational expenses. He had submitted that the PIA has 20 aircraft, 10 of which are on the lease, and seven are currently involved in international operations.

Justice Ahsen had observed that the airline was barely covering its expenses and wondered how it would cover the costs of additional planes.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/amp/1082766- ... rs-sc-told
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ammad
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by ammad »

It's been a while now, many PIlots have resigned in between, court should allow the recruitment.
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Shershah Ahmed »

It boggles the mind as to why this case and it's hearings have gone on for so long.
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by aircraftdriver93 »

And many more to resign but the Management is not allowing anyone to leave just because there is a serious shortage of flight crew members. Nothing new to see the verdict of SC. I think PIA has submitted each and everything related to the losses faced by shortage of pilots and even business plan but sadly no
Comments… comes up with another date…

ammad wrote: Wed Jun 21, 2023 10:34 pm It's been a while now, many PIlots have resigned in between, court should allow the recruitment.
Shershah Ahmed
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Shershah Ahmed »

Next they'll ask for PIA's flight training methodology and syllabus. :D
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by inducedrag »

Pia given permission to hire 205 new employees by the apex court.
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Amaad Lone »

Total separation of employees in PIA since 2018 is 5,793 out of which 1,199 employees pertain to flight operations (pilots), flight services (cabin crew), finance, and IT department. No fresh hiring has been made whereas our immediate requirement is 250 employees for the year 2023.
Knowing that a shortage is going to arise soon why would PIA let pilots and cabin crew take golden handshakes??
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Re: PIA Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Hire 250 Employees Including Pilots

Post by Abbas Ali »

Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan allowed PIA to hire 205 employees including 80 pilots, flight attendants and IT experts on contract for one year. Decision on hiring employees for other 45 posts in airline's finance and management departments has been deferred by the court.

PIA had sought court permission to hire 250 employees including pilots, flight attendants, IT experts and also individuals for finance and management positions.

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