PIA appoints UK staff on high salaries despite financial crisis

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has made appointments of staff in the United Kingdom (UK) despite facing a severe financial crisis, ARY News reported on Friday.

The national flag carrier is facing a ban in direct flights to the United Kingdom (UK) for three years. Despite the financial crisis and the ban, the national airline appointed officers and staffers on high salaries.

It was learnt that the PIA country manager will receive a salary worth £70,000, whereas, the annual salary of the passenger sales manager was fixed at £55,000 and £55,000 for the finance manager.

Additionally, a manager was appointed at the Manchester station on an annual salary worth £55,000 with other perks. The

The PIA spokesperson said that the national airline continued its flight operation on the basis of code sharing with Turkish Airlines in the UK and earning £14 million annually. The spokesperson said that only 1.8% of earnings is being spent on the PIA staffers in the UK.

The spokesperson added that Pakistan-UK direct flight operations will be resumed soon. It added that the airline’s country manager and sales managers were appointed citing the early restoration of direct flights to the UK.

Read: PIA privatization: Police arrests two union officials in Karachi

Yesterday, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) froze the accounts of the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) over non-payment of more than Rs 8 billion in taxes.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has frozen bank accounts of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) over non-payment of due taxes worth more than Rs 8 billion. 26 bank accounts of the national carrier have been frozen.

The FBR said the PIA promised to pay Rs2 billion in dues under Federal Excise Duty in August, but it failed to keep its promise.

The PIA spokesperson clarified that the bank account closure will not affect Pakistan International Airlines’ flight operations.