Karachi: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General Khaqan Murtaza told Senate panel that significant number of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots wanted to leave national carrier as result of massive salary cuts in form of taxes. During briefing by Civil Aviation Authority to Senate Committee on Aviation about decline of routes of foreign airlines, PIA’s CEO, Amir Hayat, informed members that fifteen pilots had recently emigrated and that Supreme Court had not yet considered an appeal to recruit young male staff for airline.

CAA DG stated that 31 international airlines had put in applications to fly to and from Pakistan, including 576 weekly frequencies from all international airports in country and that summer schedule had not experienced major decrease. “Around 35 percent tax was deducted from salaries of pilots,” added Murtaza Khaqan.

Urging Saleem Mandviwalla to take up issue with Federal Bureau of Revenue through Senate Finance Committee, Senator Hidayatullah remarked that future of aspiring pilots was in jeopardy.

Senate special committee discussed cancellation of licenses for PIA pilots. Chief of PIA informed committee that out of 141 pilot licenses declared suspicious by CAA, 18 were not PIA employees, 18 were terminated from service, 16 were deceased and separated, two pilots were awaiting decision on their stay orders and rest 87 were later cleared by CAA.

Issue of PIA employees appointed with fake degrees was also taken up by committee.

PIA chief stated that individuals found with fake degrees had been penalized with termination. However, Senate special committee on affected employees restored their appointments.

Senator Hidayatullah stressed that direction of the Supreme Court should be followed and strictly observed. He declared that no employee appointed on the basis of fake degrees should be reincorporated.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 01 2023

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