Letter to cockpit crews: PIA DFO dispels impression of US routes closing down

PIA management is endeavouring hard to put its best foot forward in keeping the heat low which has been generated among the employees following signing of the MoU with Turkish Airlines.
Director, Flight Operations (DFO), Captain Shuja Naqvi, has flashed a letter to all cockpit crews to clarify the impression that closing down of US routes will curtail financial emoluments for the flying crew. He has tried to justify the MoU and assured the pilots that they will continue to make money despite PIA shutting down partly Europe and US business.
He has assured them that not only PIA would continue to operate to USA, UK, France, Norway, Denmark and other European stations directly, it is also planning to reintroduce Houston to PIA's extensive list of destinations.
Although te Managing Director of PIA was reportedly disturbed over the reaction to MoU by employees of different cadres, the reaction from his own colleagues, especially senior flying community members, pilots of Boeing 777, who are working on management side, reacted and complained as they would be the prime losers due to the shutting down of long haul flights.
The long haul flights are the allowance earner for bigger frequency operators of Boeing 777s which operate the flights to Europe and US. The daily allowances, besides trips to foreign destinations, were a big charm for these crews, which got threatened due to management's decision of signing the MoU.
These senior colleagues of the Managing Director, according to reports, were holding secret meetings with law makers and senior and influential members of media to somehow stop him from proceeding with this agreement as primarily it would mean lesser flying and, of course, lesser flying allowances for bigger frequency operators.
The cockpit and cabin crews who take PIA flights to Europe and US have to stay at those destinations to complete their rest before operating a flight back home. The stay and flight both are done on PIA expense and result in giving hefty remuneration to them.
The operators of Boeing 777 are the senior most among the flying community, and are considered to be mostly siding with the Managing Director, when it comes to his stand off with their own association, ie Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (Palpa).
Amazingly, the office bearers of Palpa are mostly from smaller frequencies ie Airbus and Boeing 737. This is one of the main reasons why Palpa is seen always offending its own community member who head the airline. DFO Captain Shuja Naqvi, a Boeing 777 pilot, sensing the disturbance with Managing Director's camp, wrote the official letter to pacify the flying community over possible cut in their flying allowances, etc, as they woul no more be flying and staying in US at Corporation's expense, after the implementation of the MoU.
Highlighting positive measures taken by PIA management, he said that in the last one year alone 140 pilots were promoted on higher equipments, and, for the first time in PIA, transition trainings for pilots to higher equipment were not put on hold during the massive Hajj operation. Furthermore, since May 2008, PIA has inducted almost 150 pilots. He further said that the yearly flying before this management took charge was 130,000 hours, "whereas now we are flying an average 141,000 hours per year with our present fleet of aircraft (an increase of almost 10 percent)".
Captain Naqvi went on to explain that, keeping in line with initiatives to make PIA economically vibrant, a number of measures had been taken to enhance revenue alongside cost rationalisation, wherever prudent. In line with these initiatives, a well thought out understanding has been arrived at with Turkish Airlines and, under the proposed arrangement, PIA/Turkish Airline would operate daily flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad to Istanbul and onwards to over 128 international destinations under a code share arrangement with Turkish Airline. PIA will continue operating to USA, UK, France, Norway, Denmark and other European stations directly; PIA is also planning to reintroduce Houston to PIA's extensive list of destinations, he said.
Similarly, Turkish Airlines while discontinuing their flights to Dhaka will transfer its passengers to PIA for Dhaka, Colombo, Kathmandu and other European destinations. "It is common knowledge that strides in global aviation have been achieved by major airlines like Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Thai, Continental and United by joining hands in alliances such as Star Alliance to enhance profitability by reducing cost. These alliances have facilitated these successful airlines to enhance their stature as leading major airlines.
PIA by emulating such proven models shall be able to increase its network manifold without incurring any additional cost. This, of course, shall be as desired by Pakistanis living across the globe who have long been demanding from PIA to increase frequency on existing destinations and expand its wings to new destinations. This previously was not possible because of the limitations of PIA fleet and insufficient tariff potential for operating daily flights on various routes. PIA cabin crews will be flying on board to destinations served by Turkish Airlines under this code share arrangement.
The DFO further said that PIA has already advertised for 200 more airhostesses and has an approval to hire additional 20 pilots immediately. "Since our frequency at a number of international stations is expected to rise and addition of destinations is envisaged, it will become obligatory upon us to reinforce the manpower at these stations, especially in marketing and passenger handling," the letter said.