Pilots vow to extend full support to PIA management

LAHORE - Vice President, Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA), Capt Suhail Baluch, has said that what happened in recent past was not due to pilots fault, however, pilots do not want to go into blame game as we have sorted out our differences amicably in the larger interest of PIA and would extend full support to the management within the parameters agreed with them.
He expressed these views while addressing at ‘Meet The Press’ programme held at a local hotel on Saturday.
He was of the view that pilots were no more observing ‘go-slow’ and they were confident that the management would also reciprocate.
He said: “Even when we were in differences with PIA management, we performed beyond the call of duty.” The most precious commodity, for instance, in airlines is fuel that is directly under the control of the pilots. The pilots are paid according to the flight time. The PIA pilots always tried to save fuel by adopting shorter air routes thereby reducing the flight time. Reduction of flight time is a monetary loss for the pilots that they willingly bear in the larger interest of the national carrier.
Baluch said that a Boeing 777 consumes fuel approximately worth Rs 11,000 per minute. A reduction of flight time by 10 minutes means a saving of Rs 1,10,000 on one flight. The last Haj operation was a challenging task for both PIA and its flight crew. The pilots operated these flights so efficiently that the PIA did not have to lease out any plane from outside.
He claimed that PALPA is committed to bring back the lost glory of PIA. The agreement with the PIA management has vindicated its just stand.