PIA Engineers Accused of Delaying Flights on Purpose to Halt Airline Sale

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has accused the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SEAP) of deliberately disrupting its ongoing privatization process by halting aircraft clearances under the guise of safety concerns. The national flag carrier came to a standstill on Monday after engineers grounded multiple aircraft and stranded thousands of passengers. The move triggered widespread cancellations across domestic and international routes. PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan described SEAP’s actions as illegal and accused them of using safety as a pretext to derail the PIA privatization process. The spokesperson further said the airline’s operations fall under the Essential Services Act, making such strikes a punishable offence. Meanwhile, the PIA management said alternative engineering services had been arranged from other airlines to restore flight operations. It further said, “PIA would like to assure that flight ops are being fully restored and customer convenience is our utmost priority and that our operations run smoothly.”. Among the delayed departures, flight PK-747 (Lahore–Madinah) took off after a 14-hour delay, PK-761 (Karachi–Jeddah) after 12 hours, and PK-233 (Islamabad–Dubai) after nine hours. Flights PK-245 (Islamabad–Dammam) and PK-755 (Sialkot–Riyadh) were delayed by seven hours, while PK-741 (Islamabad–Jeddah) and PK-300 (Karachi–Islamabad) faced six- and four-hour delays, respectively. The airline said five flights had to be cancelled, but passengers were offered alternative travel options. The disruption came as the government moves ahead with PIA’s privatization—one of the key conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program. Arif Habib Limited, Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), Air Blue, and Lucky Group are currently participating in the privatization process.