LAHORE - Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA) has taken an exemplary initiative to support the airlines lower salaried staff financially, providing them a demanding relief with a cut in their own flying allowances on voluntary basis. It was decided through a resolution adopted recently in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of PALPA. The pilots community has offered the PIA administration a voluntary deduction of 10 per cent of their duty allowance, flying allowance and 10 per cent of their basic and additional allowances for distribution among lower salaried staff of group I to IV. Besides, it was decided that management pilots will forego all their 1.5 times additional flying allowance which they receive under the heads of on route check, simulator and non-slip flying etc. PALPA President Suhail Baluch said that the amount from deduction of pilots allowances will be offered to the management for the support of lower grade staffs salary increase. The association feels proud that its membership approved the move suggested by Executive Committee at the time when all the ranks of PIA employees have expressed solidarity and unity recently to impeach an inefficient management which had caused huge losses to the airlines due to which for past several years, the employees were not given any salary increase, he added. PALPA chief said that the pilots would support all efforts of the new administration to pull PIA out of hot waters. The Annual General Meeting of PALPA also gave mandate to the executive committee to resolve long overdue issue of the seniority of pilots as agreed upon in the Working Agreement and instructions given by the Ministry of Defense.