ISLAMABAD  - The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) management has put off the decision to increase the retirement age-limit of the pilots from 60 to 65 years in the wake of reported opposition from one of the PIA directors.
In its 351st meeting held in Karachi last Thursday, the PIA Board of Directors (BoD) was set to approve increasing the retirement age-limit of PIA pilots, before the Director Flight Operations (DFO) intervened to oppose this decision, following which the matter was deferred for unspecified time period, sources in the airliner informed.
Reportedly, the DFO, who is not a BoD member, was summoned by the board to give briefings on issues involving the PIA flight operations.
“The board had almost agreed to implement the decision on the PIA pilots retirement age-limit but the DFO intervened and assured the board that the airline could manage without increasing the retirement age-limit of pilots,” the officials said, arguing that increasing the pilots retirement age-limit from 60 to 65 years would have helped in ending “a culture of pick and choose for post-retirement contracts.”
The Nation tried to contact DFO Khalid Hamza at his Warid cell number but it was inaccessible. Messages were also dropped at Hamza’s cell and landline numbers for his version on the issue but they went unreturned till the filing of this report Thursday night.
The PIA sources claimed that increasing the pilots retirement age-limit could help save over Rs2 billion between the period from 2013 to 2020, considering the pensions and provident funds to be paid to the PIA pilots who would be retiring at 60 in the coming years. The number of 60-year retirements between 2013-20 will reportedly be 310, and if the age-limit is increased to 65 years the retirements in the said period will be 172.
An official at PIA Flight Operations branch, requesting anonymity, said the 65-year retirement age-limit for pilots was a standard international practice. “If the retirement age is enhanced in principle, the pick and choose practice to accommodate the favourites on contract-based appointments at lucrative salary packages and perks and privileges would be discouraged. This would also help retain experienced pilots and curtailing training costs.”
In the year 2008, the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P)-led former federal government had ordered the PIA management to increase the pilots’ retirement age-limit.
“But the then PIA management did not implement the government’s order and promoted a culture of extensions, instead,” the PIA officials alleged.
The office-bearers at a PIA employees association referred to the decision taken by the former United States president George W Bush to sign into law a bill to increase to 65 years the mandatory retirement age for US airlines’ pilots in December 2007. Both the American Senate and House of Representatives had unanimously approved the bill.
“Airlines worldwide welcomed this landmark decision,” the officials claimed. Some of the leading global airlines who had followed the suit include Atlantic, Air Canada, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, US Airways, Southwest, Air Brazil, JetBlue Airways, UPS, DHL Aviation, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Alitalia, Air France, Swiss Air, Iberia and Ryanair.
In Middle Eastern and African regions, Air Arabia, Etihad Airways, Fly Dubai, Egypt Air, Nas Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Saudi Arabian Airlines have 65-year age-limit for pilots. In the Far East, Malaysia Airlines, China Southern, China Airlines, Japan Airlines, Thai and Singapore Airlines, while in the South East Asia region, Air India, Biman Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Blue, Shaheen Air, Indigo, Air Indus, and Kingfisher follow 65-year age-limit rule for pilots.