The European Union has warned some airlines for operating below the essential safety level. PIA is among those placed under monitoring. Those who may like to see details can visit “www.flightinternational.com” or read the latest copy of this magazine. The government of Pakistan should understand that neither induction of cutting edge latest technology aircrafts such as the Boeing 777 or the leasing of old obsolete Tristars are either the remedy or the cause for this crisis. PIA has strangely enough leased Tristars for operating to Saudi Arabia, an aircraft almost 15 years older than either the A300-B4 that it grounded which is 20 years older than its own fleet of 747-200s.
PIA’s credibility suffered a major blow when a brand new Boeing 777s had a fire on its landing gear. This was followed by a series of incidents at major European airports including fuel leaks. These cannot be termed teething problems, nor be blamed on an ageing fleet. The fire on the Boeing 777’s landing gear was attributed to the use of substandard grease, used by a retired AVM serving as the DMD engineering. PIA also had a lot of problems with the A310 that it had leased from Air Jamaica. After expiry of a deal with Cathay for overhauling of engines, no alternate arrangements were made for more than 18 months. The Boeing 737 a versatile aircraft widely used is undergoing a serious crisis due to lack of maintenance and adequate parts’ availability.
The warning given to the airline points to failures of its engineering and maintenance division as well as the flight operations and corporate safety divisions. Had there been an in-house audit either by the airline’s corporate safety division or by the Civil Aviation Authority, the national flag carrier of Pakistan, would not have to endure the ignominy of being warned by the European Union. We need to understand that the induction of retired air force personnel or khakis is not the solution, but part of the problem. There is need for a management with an abundance of experience in aviation, instead of men from the private sector or uniformed services. PIA is a vital national asset, which has provided essential logistics support, apart from being our flag carrier.
Nasir K Kakakhel
Peshawar |
Health
