SC allows PIA to make 205 new professional appointments

• Supreme Court allowed the PIA to make 205 new professional appointments.
• The court allowed the recruitment of pilots, cabin crew and IT specialists.
• The court instructed to make the recruitment process clear and transparent.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court allowed the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to make 205 new professional appointments while postponing the recruitment of 45 others.

A two-member SC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Ayesha A Malik heard the case filed by PIA seeking permission for 250 recruitments of pilots, cabin crew, IT specialists, finance and management officials.

In its verdict, the apex court allowed the recruitment of pilots, cabin crew, and IT specialists in the national airline.  During the course of proceedings, the court also directed the PIA’s administration to make the recruitment process clear and transparent.

Justice Ayesha Malik asked about the need for recruitment and the reason for the inability of the airline to pay its dues. “PIA is unable to pay its dues. Why should PIA do more recruitment?” the judge asked.

Justice Ijaz said that the quality of services of the PIA was not up to the mark. The new recruitments would burden the organisation by more than Rs90 million annually, he added.

PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Amir Hayat said that the national airline’s profit for the last six months was Rs3 billion and flights were operating on profitable routes. He said that the PIA was starting flight operations on international and national routes.

Justice Ijaz said that the flight staff of other airlines was less and questioned if the recruitment would be on a permanent or on a contractual basis.

The CEO replied that the recruitment would be on a one-year renewable contract basis. The apex court allowed the recruitment of 205 employees after hearing the arguments of the CEO and additional attorney general.