RAWALPINDI/KARA­CHI: Amid delays and cancelled flights, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday claimed to have restored flight operations through alternative arrangements amid a protest by its engineers who vowed “not to compromise on the safety of passengers”.

On Monday night, sco­res of passengers were str­a­­nded at different airports due to a delay in the PIA flights, which the management attributed to a “str­ike” by the aircraft engineers.

The protest has been ongoing for two-and-a-half mont­­hs, with engineers wearing black ribbons on their arms. On Monday nig­­ht, however, they refu­s­ed to issue clearance to aircraft that caused delays.

A PIA spokesperson said that in response to the strike, the management used alternative means and worked overnight to restore operations, mitigating the impact of already delayed flights on subsequent operations.

There were seven domestic and international flights which were delayed and left after a delay of several hours.

PK747 (Lahore to Madina) faced a 14-hour delay; PK761 (Karachi-Jeddah) faced a delay of 12 hours; PK300 (Karachi-Islamabad) was delayed for four hours; PK741 (Islamabad-Madina) was delayed for six hours; PK233 (Islamabad-Dubai) was delayed for nine hours; PK245 (Islamabad-Dammam) was delayed for seven hours; while flight PK755 (Sialkot-Riyadh) was also delayed for seven hours.

Meanwhile, five flights were cancelled by readjusting the load, and alternates were offered to the valued passengers, he added. The PIA flight operations will return to normal very soon, the spokesman said, adding that two flights, from Karachi to Toronto and Islamabad to Manchester, departed on time.

The spokesman, however, castigated the engineers for their protest. “A derecognised entity, Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP), in order to pressurise the management, tried to halt the operations during late hours of yesterday (Monday) night with their nefarious design to sabotage the privatisation process.”

‘570 protesting engineers’

An office-bearer of the SAEP told Dawn that more than 570 aircraft engineers associated with the PIA had been protesting and vowed to continue their strike till their demands were fulfilled. He said that they cannot compromise on the safety and airworthiness of aircraft. “They victimise those who refuse to obey them,” he said, referring to the management.

Another official said, “The SAEP and its members are strictly working within the rules and procedures defined in the PIA Engineering Manual and Pakistan Civil Aviation Regulations.”

“The ongoing situation has been misinterpreted by certain quarters of the management as a ‘strike’, whereas in reality, engineers are adhering to mandatory safety and certification protocols,” he claimed. He said that the protocols are legally required for ensuring airworthiness and passenger safety, “responsibilities that no licenced aircraft engineer can compromise under any circumstances”.

“Unfortunately, instead of addressing long-pending professional and financial concerns, the PIA management has chosen to label lawful compliance as disruption, which is misleading,” he said, adding: “SAEP’s stance remains consistent: safety comes first, and engineers will continue performing their duties strictly according to regulatory and procedural requirements.”

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025