The Supreme Court of Pakistan has overturned a ban on new hiring imposed by the court on March 31 by allowing Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to fill 205 open positions within the company.
The court’s two-member bench, presided over by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, reviewed the petition on Wednesday in response to PIA’s request to expedite the hearing in order to obtain permission to hire over 250 new employees. PIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) argued their position in front of the court.
Justice Ayesha Malik expressed concerns about PIA’s financial obligations and questioned the need for adding more staff during the hearing. She also questioned the airline’s level of customer service, pointing out the extra monthly cost of Rs. 90 million that would result from the new hires.
The CEO of PIA responded by highlighting the airline’s Rs. 3 billion profit over the previous six months and outlining the plans for the business to recover and maintain its financial stability. These plans included the development of new domestic and international routes as well as successful flights.
The CEO responded to Justice Ahsan’s request for clarification on the reasoning behind the upcoming hires by explaining that they would be employed on a one-year renewable contract basis.
After taking into account all of the arguments, the court ordered PIA to keep the hiring process open and approved 205 positions, including pilots, cabin crew, and experts. This quantity was marginally less than the initial demand of 250 positions.
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