RAWALPINDI: The situation for passengers at Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) saw little improvement as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations remained suspended for a fourth consecutive day on Friday.

Despite claims by the federal government and PIA, no arrangements were made to provide alternative services to passengers who had purchased PIA return tickets.

The government was considering using a C-130 for the passengers but no decision has been made in this regard so far.

The tension between PIA employees, PIA management and the federal government left passengers floundering, as they sought guidance on their flight status and alternative options while at the airport. However, all the PIA offices were closed and the flight inquiry counters were empty. Senior PIA officials were also unavailable at their offices.

“We arrived at the airport for information on the flight status and the government’s announcement that there was an arrangement for travelling on other airlines,” Mohammad Younus, who had come from Attock, said.

Another passenger, Mohammad Akbar, said him and six other passengers were supposed to catch a flight to Dubai but couldn’t find any official who could give them information on their journey. He said they had all travelled from Muzaffarabad, and been told by inquiry officials to come to BBIA for information on their flight.

“I’m working with a private firm in Dubai and my vacation ended on Friday. I’m still stuck in the country,” said Israr Malik, a passenger from Gujar Khan.

He said he had called the PIA information desk but hadn’t received a response. He then went to the PIA office in Saddar before going to BBIA.

PIA spokesperson Daniyal Gilani told Dawn that PIA informed the passengers that the carrier would refund confirmed tickets without any deductions.

“We made arrangements with other airlines but the private airlines fly limited domestic flights, and the number of [PIA passengers] was much higher. They failed to accommodate so we ask the passengers that PIA would return the money without any deduction after the strike.”

He said passengers who called PIA offices had been informed of the proposal. “The information desk was empty at airports because the protesting employees did not allow anyone to sit on these counters,” he said.

However, a senior PIA official told Dawn that the Airport Security Force (ASF) cancelled entry passes belonging to PIA employees which was why most people could not enter the airport. He said the government had sent a list of employees who were allowed to enter but most people refused to sit at the counters because of the strike.

A senior official from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told Dawn that CAA and the government were considering using C-130 as an alternative service for the PIA passengers.

He said negotiations to use C-130 planes were in progress with Pakistan Air Force for international flights and for passengers flying to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

Passengers for Dubai later held a protest demonstration outside the airport, where they chanted slogans against both PIA employees and the government.

Angry words were also exchanged between PIA employees and passengers but the matter was resolved after the arrival of PIA union leaders.

But the underlying tension at the airport remained in place with a heavy contingent of police and Airport Security Force (ASF) deployed outside the airport to keep the protestors from entering.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016