KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Thursday dismissed the president and secretary general of the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) amid an escalating dispute between the national carrier’s management and protesting aircraft engineers.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafiz confirmed that SAEP President Abdullah Jadoon and Secretary General Awais Jadoon had been terminated from service following an inquiry, according to Dawn.
The move comes as flight operations continue to face major disruptions due to the engineers’ refusal to issue clearance certificates for aircraft.
The engineers, who have been protesting for over two and a half months, are demanding salary revisions and better service conditions.
While PIA has termed their actions a “strike,” the SAEP maintains that its members are on duty but unable to certify aircraft without completing all mandatory safety checks.
“The Essential Services Act is in force in PIA, under which strikes or abandonment of work constitute a legal offence,” the spokesperson said earlier, warning that those involved in “conspiratorial activities” would face legal consequences.
The airline’s management had summoned the two union leaders for a final hearing as part of an ongoing investigation but said they failed to appear. Consequently, both were dismissed from service on Thursday.
Responding to the development, Awais Jadoon insisted that the engineers were fulfilling their duties and would not compromise on passenger safety. “We are being pressured to issue clearance certificates, but we cannot put lives at risk,” he said, denying that the engineers were on strike.
He added that the management had not initiated negotiations to address the engineers’ grievances but had instead called them in for a “personal inquiry.”
PIA, however, has accused the protesting engineers of attempting to sabotage the airline’s ongoing privatisation process.
The dispute has already caused widespread disruption across the country. On Monday night, hundreds of passengers were stranded at major airports after at least six PIA flights were delayed due to the protest. Similar delays have been reported nationwide over the past two months.
PIA claimed it has since managed to “partially restore” operations through alternative arrangements, with teams working overnight to minimize delays and resume scheduled flights.
Despite these efforts, the standoff shows no signs of easing, with both sides standing firm on their positions — one citing legal and operational imperatives, the other invoking safety and workers’ rights.
