PIA too little, too late ?

MAHEEN USMANI

June 20, 2020 15:35

It was December 2016 and a black goat had just been slaughtered by men kneeling near a widening pool of blood. While the slaughter of goats is an old custom in Pakistan to ward off evil, the scene was surreal because the knife wielding men were Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees and the sacrifice had taken place on the tarmac of Islamabad airport in front of an ATR-42 aircraft.

Perhaps this pre-flight ritual was designed to calm the nerves of jittery passengers, as it was the first ATR-42 aircraft to resume flight operations since the planes had been grounded earlier that month following a PIA crash which killed 47 people, including Pakistani celebrity Junaid Jamshed.

After all, why rely on best engineering practices when you can resort to superstition and knee jerk reactions?

Four years on, and not much has changed. When PK 8303 crashed last month killing 98 people on board, PIA Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik immediately blamed the pilot-- although he backtracked later.

While Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan appreciated “the spirit of the people” who pulled out survivors and bodies, he did not explain why airport rescue services were not immediately mobilized by the control tower or the gap of 20 minutes before they arrived even though the site of the crash was in the airport’s vicinity.

As per Aviation Safety Network, PIA has had 52 safety-related incidents since it started flying 54 years ago. During the last eight years, PIA has had eight accidents, including two fatal crashes. And yet, not a single investigation report has been made public-- although the report into the crash of PK 8303 will be unveiled in parliament on June 22.

According to Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association in Pakistan (PALPA), the violation of the Air Navigation Order (ANO) is the main reason behind the increasing number of accidents. It alleges that pilots are forced to fly without safety protocols and rest and that if they protest, they are given a show cause notice.

In 2019, in a letter to the Director General Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, President PALPA Rizwan Gondal highlighted crew fatigue due to changes made by PIA in flight duty time limitation planning in violation of the PALPA-PIAC working agreement of 2011-2013.

PIA denied that pilots were being forced to take on extra flights without rest, but on August 31, 2019, PALPA said that eight pilots had resigned that year, citing dysfunctional organizational culture in their resignation letters.

According to sources, PIA CEO Arshad Malik has allowed pilots to voluntarily work even after completing their 12-hour duty.
The other factor responsible for PIA’s safety record is the slipshod maintenance of planes. In 2007, PIA was banned by the European Union because of safety concerns about its ageing fleet.

As per Aviation Safety Network, PIA has had 52 safety related incidents since it started flying 54 years ago. During the last eight years, PIA has had eight accidents, including two fatal crashes. And yet, not a single investigation report has been made public-- although the report into the crash of PK 8303 will be unveiled in parliament on June 22.

A GLANCE AT PIA’S ACCIDENTS

In 2013 PK- 213 had to return to Karachi airport 15 minutes after taking off for Dubai after the pilot spotted a flame in the engine.

In 2019, a ATR-42 airc­raft skidded off the runway while landing at Gilgit airport.

In 2019, PK-759 had to make an emergency landing back at Lahore airport after one of its engines caught fire minutes after takeoff.

PIA is running into losses of over Rs6 billion monthly. If it lacks the resources to upgrade its fleet, how is it spending Rs24 billion yearly on the payment of salaries to 14,500 employees? 

The special audit 2008 to 2017 reveals mammoth salaries (amounting to $5.869 million) being paid to PIA Investment Limited Managing Director and other employees. In 2007, senior management employees received compensation of $195,378. By 2012, the figure had reached $546,553. In 2017, the amount was $811,581: a 315% rise in 10 years.

According to PALPA, on April 1, 2016, PIA spent Rs915 million on salary increases for its pilots.

Despite these hefty payments, the staff recruited has taken a nose dive. 

In November 2013, PIA pilot Irfan Faiz was jailed for nine months in Britain for being drunk before flying an Airbus 310 plane to Islamabad. He was found to be four-and-a-half times over the legal limit to fly. That same year, three drunk flight stewards were arrested in Manchester for misbehaving with a British woman.

In 2014, a PIA air hostess was arrested for carrying drugs at Milan airport. In 2017, an air hostess was arrested in Paris for shoplifting. In 2016, an air hostess was arrested at Lahore airport for trying to smuggle 2.5 kg of gold to the US.

A far cry indeed from its heyday, when PIA lived up to its tagline of ‘Great People to Fly With’ with Air Marshall Nur Khan at the helm-- known for conducting surprise checks. Ranked amongst the top five in global aviation, PIA had a trained crew with air hostess Momi Gull Durrani as its charismatic face.

But Arshad Malik is no Nur Khan. Though directives have been issued by the government for the reform of PIA in the wake of the crash, it is akin to locking the stable door well after the horse has already bolted.


– Maheen Usmani is a Paksitani journalist and author. She tweets @MaheenUsmani   publishsed at https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1692801