Employees of PIA during sit in protest at Karachi airport.—AP

KARACHI: Employees of Pakistan's state airline have called off a four-day strike that crippled air travel in the country after the resignation of the top company official.

The leader of the employee union for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said their major demand was the resignation of the company's managing director.

The managing director of the airline resigned Friday to end the strike, Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said.

“Managing director, PIA, Aijaz Haroon has resigned,” Mukhtar told a press conference in Islamabad, with Interior Minister Rehman Malik and union representatives alongside him.

The resignation prompted celebration among the strikers.

Union leader Sohail Baloch said they hope to have flights running again after midnight. The strike grounded more than 200 flights.