More than 1,300 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees have submitted applications seeking early retirement under the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) the airline lately introduced to cut its employees to reduce cost. Media reports said that over 1,300 applications have been received since the scheme was brought in. A mandatory retirement scheme will follow the VSS, under which employees with poor performance will be laid off, the sources said. They said the management of the national flag carrier, taking a leaf from foreign airlines’ book, has devised a restructuring plan to turn it into a profit-making entity. Besides laying off almost half its employees, Pakistan International Airlines plans to move its head offices, including the flight services division, commercial department and human resource divisions, to Islamabad by the end of January as part of the restructuring plan.