SC Orders PIA to Pay 24 Years of Pension Arrears to Former Employee

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednesday ordered Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to pay a former employee his pension arrears spanning 24 years, ARY News reported.

A three-member bench of the top court, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, heard the petition filed by ex-PIA employee Mustafa Ansari.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that his client retired under a specific scheme in 2002—nearly 24 years ago.

The counsel stated that while other retired employees have been receiving their pensions, his client’s dues remained unpaid.

He further apprised the court that although the Sindh High Court (SHC) had previously ordered that the pension and privileges be granted, the historical arrears were never cleared.

In response, Justice Shahid Waheed questioned whether there was a specific law governing the payment of pensions to employees.

The PIA counsel replied that he would need to seek further instructions from the airline regarding the formal payment process.

The court subsequently ordered that if the pension payments are not settled before the next hearing, the Managing Director (MD) of PIA must appear before the court in person to explain the delay.

Earlier, after a six-year suspension, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has officially resumed its flight operations to London, marking a significant development for international travel, ARY News reported.

According to reports, the first flight, PK-785, departed from Islamabad carrying 325 passengers to London. The departure was attended by key officials, including the Secretary of Defence and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, who bid farewell to the inaugural flight.

A formal ceremony was held at Islamabad Airport to mark the occasion, where a cake was cut and passengers were presented with gifts. Adding excitement to the event, a lucky passenger won a 660cc car through a raffle draw.

The ceremony was also attended by Chairman of the PIA Consortium, Arif Habib, along with other senior officials.

According to the PIA spokesperson, the airline will further expand its UK operations, with flights from Lahore to London set to begin from March 30. In total, PIA will operate four weekly flights to London—three from Islamabad and one from Lahore.

The resumption of flights is expected to strengthen travel links between Pakistan and the United Kingdom while providing greater convenience for passengers.

Earlier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) issued a travel advisory announcing the temporary suspension of flights to Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 48 hours due to the prevailing security situation in Gulf countries.

According to the airline’s spokesperson, flights to the United Arab Emirates will, for the time being, continue only to Al Ain, while all Fujairah-bound operations remain halted.

Meanwhile, widespread disruption to air travel continues across Pakistan, with a total of 83 flights to Middle Eastern destinations cancelled in a single day. Flight operations to Fujairah have been completely suspended from Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar, where all eight scheduled flights were cancelled.

From Karachi, 18 flights to destinations including Doha, Bahrain, Baghdad, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi were cancelled, while another 18 flights from Lahore to Kuwait, Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain and Dubai were also grounded.