PIA flights to UAE grounded; passengers to be refunded

Dubai - The suspension of local and global flights comes as a result of two employees killed during ongoing violent protests by PIA employees at its headquarters in Karachi.

All PIA flights to UAE have been grounded and passengers will be refunded said a senior official from the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Dubai.
Total number of PIA inbound flights to UAE from Pakistan includes 38 to Dubai, 3 to Sharjah and 21 to Abu Dhabi.
The suspension of flights comes as a result of the ongoing violent protests by PIA employees at its headquarters in Karachi. The strike is against the Pakistan government's privatisation plan.
Two employees have been shot dead on Tuesday, (February 2) during the protests with security personnel armed with water cannons, tear gas and batons near the international airport in Karachi.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Syed Ishaq Hussain, PIA, Regional Manager said: "Affected passengers will be refunded or transferred to other airlines to ensure they reach their booked destination. The entire PIA network was affected today, due to the killing of employees earlier this week that escalated the situation."
Hussain however added that that not many UAE passengers were affected as people had stopped booking flights with the airline after the protest situation further erupted recently.

Commenting on whether had protests ever grounded flights before, he said that in his 30-year long career he hadn't encountered such a situation.
Regarding the refunds, Hussain explained that customers, opting for a refund, will be done at no extra charge irrespective if the tickets are booked with an agent or PIA.
PIA's management expressed "deep grief and sorrow" over the deaths of its employees, Gilani said, and asked the government to launch an inquiry into Tuesday's incident.
Since Jan. 26, the strike has cost the airline about 1 billion Pakistani rupees ($9.6 million) in losses, he added.
In a television interview on Tuesday night, company chairman Nasser Jaffer said he planned to resign.
"From this day on, my conscience does not allow me to stay as chairman of this organisation," the emotional Jaffer said on Dunya Television.
For information and enquiries, the UAE number is 8000-914-0002 and Pakistan 111-786-786
The strike is the latest in a months-long series of protests against the plan to sell off part of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), among companies the government has pledged to privatise under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

"Most of the PIA flights are not being allowed to take off from any of the airports, domestic or international," said airline spokesman Danyal Gilani, although some returning international flights were being allowed to land, Reuters reported.
A spokesman for the protesters did not immediately answer telephone calls from Reuters to seek comment.
Once a source of pride for Pakistan, the loss-making carrier has been hit by frequent flight cancellations, and many of its aircraft have been cannibalised to keep others flying.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this week extended legislation to ban the airline's employees from striking for six months, the government said in a statement.
The law specifies prison terms of up to a year, and an unspecified fine, for those convicted of infringements.
Sharif vowed not to back down from the reform plan.
"Action will be taken against those who have gone on strike," he told reporters on Tuesday. "I believe that any concession on this will be a disservice to Pakistan."
yousufk@khaleejtimes.com (with inputs from Reuters)

• Pakistan