Pakistan Civil Aviation | Information & News.

[Super Falcon]

again incompitancy shown by PIA i dont know when their stupidity will ends seems no limits for their stupididity

 

[Jango]

Travelled on PK-292 from Muscat-lahore-Islamabad. Plane was A310, forgot the registration number.

The plane was first of all half an hour to takeoff. The rest of the journey was good, good meal was served. plane lands at lahore on time, and departs a bit early to make up time. But at BB airport is where the ruckus starts.

The plane lands, taxies to it's designated stand and stops. The stairs arrive and the doors open, but voila , there are no buses to take us. Around 200 pax standing on the tarmac waiting for a bus. Some aviation dept. people come running, and say that the bus is going to be here in some moments. I ask the official why is the bus not here, and no cargo trolleys, ramps or any kind of ground crew is visible there, except 4 or so personnel as above mentioned. The official says that we were not expecting the airplane at this time, and did not know if the plane was arriving or not!!!. I made a remark that 'sari busain larkana gayi hui hain'.. He smiles, and nods. then after 15 minutes, a coaster arrives, and around 200 people jump on the 30-seater bus. I stay back, trying to avoid the rush. Then after a few minutes, another bus arrives and we got on it, the bus is of poor health, not the Cobus buses you see at other airports, rather hino buses which are standing 3 meters tall!!!. Immigration is done and now we wait for the baggage. The first bag exits after 15 or so minutes. The reason, no ground staff, baggage handlers, ramps and trolleys are not there to receive the plane. And after 25 minutes we get our baggage and go. And the ordeal ends.

And the irony is that there were only 2 planes at the airport at the time, a ATR-42, and our flight, a A310. Although there were apprx. 10 C-130's there.

 

[Super Falcon]

totally agreeee with you same thing happened with me no maintainance even poorest nation uses Ac busses in the world uses better even of one day airport tax they take to buy busses they can wasily buy them but for last 18 years we have these old scrap where we put in like goats no tv channels here condemn them Airport standards are no way near to even 3rd class airport similar thing going on karachi airport too but thanks to Emirates air line they have their things seprate and they pay money to airport officials in order to give their traveller better service in airport so next time when they travell they must travel by Emirates i will do travel by emirates next time due to PIA and airport unprofessionalism

 

[Roybot]

Iran makes airspace off limits to PIA over payment backlog – The Express Tribune

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) confirmed on Tuesday that Iran has shut its airspace to Pakistani air craft due to a six-month backlog in transit payments.

PIA owes Iran close to $600,000 in past payments. PIA officials said that the ban may affect the shorter route for flights carrying returning Hajis from Saudi Arabia via Iranian airspace. A redirect to the longer and slightly expensive route over Oman would resolve the issue for the flights, the first of which are expected to start from Thursday. PIA officials said that it is expected that a solution to the current ban will be found through diplomatic channels by tomorrow.

 

[Roybot]

PIA employees plan protest from 18th | Provinces | DAWN.COM

ISLAMABAD: The action committee of the employees` unions of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to go on a countrywide protest for an indefinite period against the deteriorating condition of the national flag carrier and a recently signed $700 million agreement between its management and a US firm for supply of spares, consumable material, chemicals and other items.

 

[Super Falcon]

time to move on PIA should think for new dreamliner jet which drinks less fuel and give huge miles

 

[razgriz19]

time to move on PIA should think for new dreamliner jet which drinks less fuel and give huge miles

not anytime soon....
IF PIA would buy 787s, then they probably would do it to replace A310-300s
however they will serve PIA for another decade or so before they get replaced

 

[VCheng]

time to move on PIA should think for new dreamliner jet which drinks less fuel and give huge miles

At approximately $200 million per plane, just how many 787s can PIA buy in the present circumstances?

 

[fatman17]

PIA is bankrupt - it is losing Rs, 30Bill per year. its 747, 737 fleet has been grounded because of lack of spares. its latest a/c 777 and ATR-42 are being 'over-used' and these a/c will get 'older' faster than normal because the PIA engg. is cutting corners in their maintenance schedules and we are witnessing problems with these a/c such as engine catching fire (ATR), tire blowouts during taxiing (777) to name a few instances. experienced PIA engg'rs have all bolted to Emirates and Etihad on double/triple salaries. PIA management has signed a 'dubious' spare-parts deal with a dubai-based US company, paid it advances but no spare parts delivery.
PIA is finished IMO.

 

[VCheng]

PIA is bankrupt - it is losing Rs, 30Bill per year. its 747, 737 fleet has been grounded because of lack of spares. its latest a/c 777 and ATR-42 are being 'over-used' and these a/c will get 'older' faster than normal because the PIA engg. is cutting corners in their maintenance schedules and we are witnessing problems with these a/c such as engine catching fire (ATR), tire blowouts during taxiing (777) to name a few instances. experienced PIA engg'rs have all bolted to Emirates and Etihad on double/triple salaries. PIA management has signed a 'dubious' spare-parts deal with a dubai-based US company, paid it advances but no spare parts delivery.
PIA is finished IMO.

The problems described above are emblematic of not only PIA, but the ship of the state as well.

 

[BATMAN]

I wonder if P.Musharraf had not baught those ATR and Boeings.. than we'd still be flying fokkers and 30-40 year old airbuses.

 

[Jango]

Saw an article in the newspaper yesterday. The MD PIA said that they are selling B-777 (new wide body jets) , for smaller , narrow body B-737's. What in the world made the PIA do this???

777 is a more advanced, economical, environmental friendly jet as to those 737s.

 

[Jango]

PIA fails to respond to CAA inquiry


Javed Mirza
Saturday, November 26, 2011

KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has failed to reply to a memo issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which pointed out serious safety and procedural lapses in a PIA flight on September 6.

CAA has asked the management to submit its reply, streamline its operations and take corrective measures.

However, PIA management has failed to reply to the memo during the last two months.

According to sources, CAA pointed out some serious violations of aviation rules in PK 308, Airbus A310, during a ramp inspection on September 6, 2011. It asked the airline to submit its reply before September 21 to Chief Pilot Technical.

They said that the PIA management had been bypassing airline worthiness and safety standards in routine flight operations for domestic and international routes.

Sources said that the airline had completely failed to meet requirements on different routes, which put the lives of passengers at stake.

During ramp inspection of the flight, the CAA officials found that SEP Manual LEP/Amendments were kept separately and were not inserted in SEP Manual, which was a serious violation of CAA rules.

The officials also found that the temperature in the aircraft had reached alarmingly high level as the air-condition system of the plane was not working properly and the cabin was hot during the boarding.

It was not inspected before flights and the relevant department failed to repair it.

The Emergency Equipment Check Form was also not used by the cabin crew though it was an indispensable practice for maintaining airworthiness and its negligence was termed absolutely a professional crime, sources said.

In the same PIA flight, it was also observed during ramp inspection, a universal precaution kit was provided only 10 minutes before boarding of the passengers, although aviation law says this kit should be made available in the aircraft an hour before boarding.

The CAA conducted inspection on September 6, but PIA management has failed to take action against its departments concerned.

PIA fails to respond to CAA inquiry

 

[v9s]

I've heard it's being intentionally run down so that Zardari's sister's company, Indus Air, can take over PIA.

Sounds like a conspiracy but i wouldn't be surprised if it was true.

 

[fatman17]

Saw an article in the newspaper yesterday. The MD PIA said that they are selling B-777 (new wide body jets) , for smaller , narrow body B-737's. What in the world made the PIA do this???

777 is a more advanced, economical, environmental friendly jet as to those 737s.

747 are being sold but who will buy these outdated, derelict a/c

---------- Post added at 11:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 AM ----------

PIA crises far from over


By: Sikander Shaheen | Published: November 27, 2011

ISLAMABAD - The plethora of crises Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) grapples with is not to go anytime sooner while the defence minister admits that it would take another three years to bring the national flag carrier on no-profit, no-loss terms.
Lately, the PIA management adequately publicised its much-hyped five-year business plan that became effective from the start of 2010 till 2014. The PIA also announced adding new planes to its operational fleet and doing away with the outdated ones. But despite the lapse of two good years, the business plan appears to have stood far from yielding any worthy outcome. What appears as alarmingly intriguing is that PIA would only be able to stem the unstoppable spree of losses not before the next three years, let alone contributing any profit to national exchequer.

In his recorded reply in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar stated that the PIA had outsourced BMA Capital that, according to the defence minister, is a leading consultancy firm of Pakistan, in order to evaluate the business plan. “This plan has been shared with concerned government authorities. If steps as detailed in the plan are implemented, PIA shall be operating on a breakeven basis in three years time,” the reply statement reads.

It needs a mention that the word ‘breakeven’ stands for no-profit and no-loss basis in operational and logistical terms. The minister’s reply, which was also interpreted by the PIA Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Azim Daultana in the NA, reads that PIA Board had approved new business plan 2011-2014 that envisaged replacing six B-737 by as many narrow body new generation planes and four ATR-42 aircraft into the “Aging fleet of national flag carrier”. Nowhere in the written replies and as well as the verbal information provided by Daultana was it mentioned as to how the PIA would arrange funds for inducting these 10 sophisticated airplanes in the wake of worst financial crises it is living with. The PIA currently has five types of aircraft, Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing, 777, ATR and Airbus 310. Of them, Boeing 737, Boeing 747 and Airbus 310 are outdated aircrafts that are unfit for any domestic or international flight and do not meet the safety standards laid down by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Contradicting his own statement made sometime ago, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar’s reply, the statement says that PIA suffered a financial loss of Rs 78.19 million last year on account of flight cancellations, protests and strikes.
On the other hand, the defence minister was the one to have stated in the Senate on last September 14 that PIA achieved its ‘highest ever’ revenue of Rs 107.5 billion in the year 2010 compared to that of Rs 95.5 billion in 2009. Mukhtar had also mentioned then that PIA would initiate phase-wise rightsizing in the PIA non-operational areas. He had also conceded that PIA made 2171 inductions in last three years and its 165 personnel were getting lucrative salaries exceeding Rs 500,000.

In addition, the twelve high-profile and politically motivated inductions made during the tenure of former Managing Director PIA Ejaz Haroon and authenticated by the PIA Board have still not been reverted. These include some manger-rank officials of the PIA Public Relations (PR) department. Back in September, The Nation had reported that 22 highly technical and operational posts like those of aircraft engineer and deputy chief engineer are vacant while the ones that are unnecessary and non-operational are flooded with manpower. Of the 727 aircraft engineer posts, 727 are occupied and 30 remain vacant while of the 70 deputy chief engineer posts, 52 posts are occupied and the remaining 18 stay vacant.

Meanwhile, Mukhtar also admitted in his statement on Wednesday that passengers “Had to face some trouble in the last few days due to changes in the schedule of PIA flights.”

When contacted, Defence Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Farrukh Ahmed did not respond to this scribe’s queries on defence minister’s statements about PIA’s multiple crises. The queries were sent in writing and routed through the spokesperson’s ADC Lieutenant Amaad but no reply was received till the filing of this report.

PIA Spokesperson and General Manager Public Relations (PR) Sultan Hassan is in Madina for performing Umrah. Hassan told this newspaper, when approached, that he would be back within a couple of days and could respond to official queries thereafter.