THE only sufferers of the uncalled-for and prolonged protest by some elements in PIA, who insisted on blocking roads, were those who had bought PIA tickets.

Almost 10 aircraft were stranded at various international airports because pilots refused to fly them back and conveniently continued to stay at hotels at PIA expense. On the other hand poor passengers with no money were left hanging around at airports. Why was PIA paying for hotels of the crew unwilling to fly back aircraft stranded at foreign airports?

Strikes by PIA employees have become a regular feature, demanding salary hikes from an airline suffering in losses and surviving on taxpayers’ dole. In August 2010, the PPP government imposed the Essential Services Act in PIA and there was a prolonged strike under the garb of going by the book. But somehow numerous pilots and engineers within the management maintained few essential schedules.

Was it right for the PPP to appoint as managing director a man involved in numerous irregularities? He signed a lopsided agreement in favour of a foreign airline, effectively reducing PIA to a regional airline, and feeding passengers to Turkey for onward travel by that airline. At the same time PIA had bought expensive long-range B-777 to be underutilised for medium-range flights.

PIA’s surplus employees forget that they can no longer ground Pakistan’s aviation industry because other airlines are eager to fill the void. Other than adequate remuneration, the employees have no business to decide who runs the management nor must the government treat this as spoils of war.

The government must perform its regulatory functions and strictly ensure that nobody fleeces passengers. Private airlines must be penalised heavily for overcharging. The federal government and CAA have failed in regulatory controls.

Gull Zaman

Peshawar

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2016