Pilots reported sick to take tests for other airlines

Manila: Some 11 pilots of flag carrier Philippine Airlines went on sick leave to take tests in airline companies abroad, a local paper said.

Many of them have passed the flight simulator tests in Hong Kong and in other airlines abroad. They are ready to submit their resignations, an unnamed source told the Inquirer.

The next wave of resignations will cripple the flag carrier's operations, said the source who was identified as a senior pilot of PAL's Airbus A320 division.

PAL pilots started looking for jobs because they lost faith in PAL management, said the source, adding that the pilots no longer believed the promise of PAL president Jaime Bautista that pilots would no longer be transferred to Air Philippines, PAL's sister company which offers lower pay, the source explained.

Salaries of pilots abroad are triple the salaries of PAL pilots.

By October, 70 per cent of PAL pilots must lie low otherwise, they would fly over the law's flying limit, an expert explained.

This will create more shortage of pilots at the flag carrier.

Jobs abroad

In late July, 26 Airbus A320 pilots left PAL for higher-paying jobs abroad, prompting PAL to cancel an average of three to five flights a day. This affects about 5,000 passengers per day. The government intervened to avert PAL's labour dispute.

As a result, PAL management promised PAL pilots that they would no longer be transferred to Air Philippines.

Charges

But PAL management insisted it will still file criminal and administrative charges against the pilots who left without giving the company 180-day notice as required in their contract.