Passengers wait to get on a flight at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport
Passengers wait to get on a flight, which was cancelled due to strike by employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport February 9, 2011. Domestic and international flights were gravely disrupted at the airports across the country on Tuesday as employees of PIA protested against the proposed selling to Turkish Airlines of most of its routes to Europe and the U.S., local media reported. REUTERS/Athar Hussain

Pakistan International Airlines’ staff strike seeking the airline’s managing director’s resignation and termination of a passenger-sharing MoU signed with Turkish Airlines, took a complete toll on air travel in Pakistan when the country’s national airline had to cancel dozens of flights on Thursday.

The strike continues, and it will continue until the (managing director) goes, Uzair Khan, joint secretary of the Pakistan Airline Pilots' Association (PALPA), told Reuters.

About 100 international and domestic flights, including 33 on Thursday, from Karachi's Jinnah airport and Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad have been canceled since the strike was called on Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at the airports, a PIA spokesperson told media.

The strike is against a proposal agreement with Turkish Airlines under which, Turkish Airlines flights will take PIA passengers from Turkey onwards to destinations in Europe and the US.

According to officials, European and US destinations are very profitable routes for national airline and agreeing upon such a deal would be a huge revenue loss.

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