PIA workforce shrinks to 7,000 as part of larger restructuring process

Abdullah Jan

Islamabad: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reduced its workforce to 7,000 employees, following a significant downsizing initiative aimed at improving operational efficiency. This was confirmed by Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Defense, Zaib Jafar, during the Question Hour in the National Assembly.

Jafar explained that the workforce reduction was part of a larger restructuring process, which has seen PIA’s staff decrease from 18,000 to 7,000 employees. She also shared that the national carrier’s fleet now includes 213 aircraft.

During the session, MP Tahira Aurangzeb raised concerns about PIA’s staff-to-aircraft ratio, questioning why the airline still maintains a high number of employees relative to its fleet. Additionally, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro expressed concerns about the high fares on newly introduced domestic routes, specifically between Sukkur and Karachi. She pointed out that ticket prices for this route were nearly as expensive as flights to Dubai.

In response to these concerns, Chairman Abdul Qadir Patel directed the parliamentary secretary to prepare a detailed report addressing the issues and present it to the House.