Asian – Dispatch

The management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to hire aircraft technicians on a daily wage basis.

Interviews have started for more than 100 candidates who have completed apprenticeships at PIA and are being considered for contract-based employment. Engineering department officials have called the apprenticeship candidates for interviews.

To address the shortage in the engineering department, PIA will recruit over 100 technicians on a daily wage basis, Express News reported.

However, no decision has been made yet regarding recruiting aircraft engineers. The last fresh batch of aircraft engineers was recruited in 2016.

A PIA spokesperson confirmed the decision to hire technicians on daily wages to address the shortage, and interviews for the candidates have already begun.

The Society of Aircraft Engineers spokesperson also confirmed the new recruitments.

Notably, 65 technicians and 45 aircraft engineers have resigned from PIA and joined domestic and international airlines.

Yesterday, a British delegation arrived in Pakistan to assess the country’s aviation safety standards.

The delegation from the UK Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will review the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) safety standards.

This assessment is a crucial step towards Pakistani carriers’ resumption of flight operations between Pakistan and the UK. The PCAA’s Director-General, Nadir Shafi Dar, and his team of experts are hosting the delegation.

Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation into the controversial advertisement for the launch of PIA Paris flights.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar shared this directive during a Senate session on Tuesday focused on a notice regarding PIA’s privatisation.

Senator Sherry Rehman raised concerns about the airline’s future, questioning whether the privatisation plan had been cancelled or was still proceeding. She also highlighted that only 19 of PIA’s 34 aircraft are operational, with the rest grounded.

Rehman also criticised the Paris flight advertisement, which she claimed led to public ridicule, questioning the agency responsible for the ad and the official who approved it.

The advertisement featured a PIA plane near the Eiffel Tower with the tagline “We’re coming,” which she argued misrepresented the airline’s intentions.

Source: The Express Tribune