PIA flight operations crippled

KARACHI: The flight operations of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) continued to remain disrupted for the second day after employees of the national flag carrier went on a strike Tuesday, refusing to perform onboard duties and blocking entrances of major airports.

Both national and international flight schedules were badly affected by the strike multiplying the miseries of the travelers who were stranded on the airports.

Scuffles also broke out between the workers associated with rival unions Tuesday, which stand apart on the question of demanding the resignation of Managing Director Aijaz Haroon, who sent home eight pilots on charges of misconduct, they said.

Hundreds of PIA employees were sitting at airports in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. Flight operations in Islamabad were the worst affected.

The latest setback for the PIA came at a time when the airline is trying to bolster revenues through a code-share agreement with the Turkish Airlines - a move bitterly opposed by the Council of Employees of PIA (CEPIA), a confederation representing six different unions.

Protests were prompted after PIA sacked eight pilots earlier in the week. "It was a decision of the management to take care of troublemakers," said Aijaz Haroon. "We have every right to lay off people who are not performing their jobs."