ISLAMABAD:
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan approved 205 new skilled jobs at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), while delaying the hiring of 45 others.
The matter was considered by a Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ayesha A Malik. The PIA had petitioned the court for permission to hire 250 new employees across a variety of departments including pilots, flight attendants, information technology experts, finance and management.
The SC put a moratorium on hiring new employees on March 31, 2018.
The PIA asked the Supreme Court to hear its petition to hire 250 more staff early in the year. That was in February.
In its most recent application, the national carrier said that several essential posts were still open and would need to be filled before it could operate normally.
According to the application, “the airline will not be able to meet its operational requirements without the induction of the said new employees,” meaning that if they don’t get them, the company could “once again run into financial difficulties” from operating at less than full capacity.
Because the Supreme Court has barred the national carrier from hiring new personnel as of 2018, the survey found that the average age of the airline’s current staff has risen to 45.2%.
As a result, “there is a shortage of operational crew and new employees with the latest technological-cum-corporate knowledge with contemporary skillset required to elevate the national flag carrier to a new era of advancement and innovative strategic commercial operations,” it said.
The PIA has established a code-sharing agreement with Turkish Airlines, according to the article.
It went on to say that raising flying frequencies was essential for normal functioning.
According to the paper, “as a result of the code-share arrangement with [the] Turkish Airlines,” PIA expects to earn Rs205 billion in revenue that year.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld the PIA’s right to hire pilots, flight attendants, and computer technicians.
A straightforward and open hiring process was also ordered by the court during the proceedings against PIA.
Ayesha, the judge, wanted to know, “Why was the PIA unable to pay its dues, and why did it have to recruit more people?”
In his opinion, Justice Ahsan found PIA’s service quality to be subpar. He further noted that the new hires will increase the annual cost to the airline by more over Rs90 million.
Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Amir Hayat, CEO of PIA, testified in court that the national airline had made a profit of Rs3 billion over the previous six months and that it was flying on routes that generated a profit.
He also said that the PIA was launching domestic and international service.
Justice Ahsan pointed out that competing airlines’ flight crews were smaller and inquired as to whether the new hires would be permanent or temporary.
In response, the CEO stated that the employment agreement will be renewed after the first year.
After hearing the CEO’s and extra attorney general’s arguments, the highest court upheld the hiring of 205 new employees.
