Pakistan International pilots may boycott flights over non-payment

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has come under fire after it allegedly failed to pay some of its employees' salaries. As a result, a number of the airline's pilots are reportedly planning to not operate any flights until they have been paid. The Pakistani flag carrier has been struggling to pay salaries for months due to a shortage of cash, and according to the pilots, the government has not stepped in to help either. This has left employees out of pocket, and could lead to significant operational disruption if the walkout goes ahead. Reports from the local news outlet, ARY, state that PIA has tax debts amounting to over Rs400b ($1.4b). The carrier also recently asked for a government bailout to the tune of Rs45b ($157m) to help. PIA is currently banned from flying to the European Union, the UK, and the US - three huge markets for the airline, and the loss of revenue from being unable to operate these services is hitting its finances hard. In a bid to keep hold of its coveted slots at London Heathrow (LHR) while not in use, PIA has temporarily offered them to Turkish Airlines and Kuwait Airways. For the pilots involved, not receiving their salary could not have come at a worse time, faced with mounting inflation and a country ravaged by a shortage of foreign currency reserves.<br/>