Firing on Aircraft Landing at Peshawar Airport Continues but no Measure Taken by Government

A file photo of PIA aircraft. PHOTO: AFP

Why Federal Government is so Aloof to Problems of Peshawar Airport which is Always Under Attack from FR ( Semi tribal Area Governed under Article 247 ) of Pakistan constitution that Makes it a  Federal territory while it is not situated in FATA but inside the Pakhtunkhwa area but it is Governed from Islamabad FATA Secretariat which Falls Under President of Pakistan under PML-N and its is not under control of Pakhtunkhwa Police and Frontier Corps Either , as its is supposed to be Manned by Frontier Constabulary and which is sent to Islamabad to Protect the Embassies inside Diplomatic Enclave . How a Government Run by Goof both in Military and Political Establishment create a Self made Problem that can be Addressed by Putting Army or FC In These Area to Stop Aerial Firing or Making it Settled Area by a small Amendment so that it can Governed by Pakhtunkhwa Police and Police Stations can be made in  6 FR Areas . 

Rumour about firing: All our planes are safe, says airport manager


Published: September 28, 2014

PESHAWAR:

A senior airport official on Saturday shot down media reports of an airliner coming under fire moments before its landing on the Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) on Saturday night.

Tahir Sikander, airport manager BKIA, told The Express Tribune that it was not an attack but celebratory firing in Masho Khel and Suliman Khel area on the outskirts of the city, which was mistaken as an attack by local police.

“All our aircraft are safe. It is Saturday night and it is a local tradition to celebrate by means of aerial firing,” he said, adding that such reports in media were spreading rumours.

SSP Operations Najeebur Rehman Bagvi also said that they had contacted the airport authorities and there was no such attack nor any casualty.

Earlier, news broke that a PIA airliner coming from Saudi Arabia had come under attack soon before its landing — no casualty was reported.

Local Badhaber police had reported that the aircraft was attacked from three locations simultaneously which was strongly denied by police high ups and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Meanwhile, ASI Hayatabad Shaukat Kamal was reported dead, while two other people were injured, when unknown miscreants opened fire at the worshippers offering prayers inside a mosque in Bar Kanady, Pir Bala.

Police said that it could be a case of terrorism and the injured had been identified as Saleem and Azizur Rehman.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2014.

source : http://tribune.com.pk/story/768271/rumour-about-firing-all-our-planes-are-safe-says-airport-manager/

Civilain Airplanes are always Shot from Semi Tribal FR ( Frontier Regions )Under Federal Government

Why Federal Government is so Aloof to Problems of Peshawar Airport which is Always Under Attack from FR ( Semi tribal Area Governed under Article 247 ) of Pakistan constitution that Makes it a  Federal territory while it is not situated in FATA but inside the Pakhtunkhwa area but it is Governed from Islamabad FATA Secretariat which Falls Under President of Pakistan under PML-N and its is not under control of Pakhtunkhwa Police and Frontier Corps Either , as its is supposed to be Manned by Frontier Constabulary and which is sent to Islamabad to Protect the Embassies inside Diplomatic Enclave . How a Government Run by Goof both in Military and Political Establishment create a Self made Problem that can be Addressed by Putting Army or FC In These Area to Stop Aerial Firing or Making it Settled Area by a small Amendment so that it can Governed by Pakhtunkhwa Police and Thana be made in  6 FR Areas . 

Cargo plane comes under fire near Peshawar airport

By Riaz Ahmad

Published: September 1, 2014

According to details, around 9pm on Sunday the aircraft was attacked with an AK-47 rifle in the Sheikh Muhammadi area of Peshawar. PHOTO: CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY

PESHAWAR: A Russian cargo plane was attacked in the outskirt of Peshawar before it landed at the Bacha Khan International Airport late on Sunday.

According to details, around 9pm on Sunday the aircraft was attacked with an AK-47 rifle in the Sheikh Muhammadi area of Peshawar. The plane was hit by a single bullet in tail.

CCPO Ijaz Khan confirmed the report and said that there was no report of loss in the attack and the aircraft managed to land safely. He added that it was cargo plane rather than a passenger one.

Earlier on June 26, 2014, gunmen fired on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-756, carrying 178 passengers and crew members, as it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport Tuesday night, killing a woman and injuring two others, including a crew member.

source : http://tribune.com.pk/story/756354/cargo-plane-comes-under-fire-near-peshawar-airport/

4 Airline Refuses to Wet Lease Aircraft to PIA Because of Lack of Security

By Zulqernain Tahir
Updated Jul 03, 2014 09:49am




A source says the foreign airlines expressed their inability to lease the aircraft citing security issues. —File photo

LAHORE: Four foreign airlines have refused to give aircraft to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on ‘wet lease’ because of security reasons.

The airlines of Eastern Europe and Central Asia had shown interest in providing four aircraft to the PIA when it floated a tender in early June. But after the attack on Karachi airport and firing at a PIA plane in Peshawar, they have withdrawn the offer.

Under the wet lease agreement, an airline provides aircraft, pilots and cabin crew and maintenance and insurance, while under the dry lease the airline provides only aircraft.

A source in the PIA told Dawn that the foreign airlines had offered to provide 180-seater A320 and 737 aircraft to PIA, but now they expressed their inability to do so citing security issues. He said the national flag-carrier was also facing problems in acquiring planes on dry lease.


“PIA is facing the brunt of terror attacks on two airports and it seems that more difficult time is ahead. The government will have to extend its full support to PIA to deal with the situation,” a senior PIA official said.

PIA’s spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar admitted that PIA was facing problems in acquiring planes on wet lease following the attack on a flight in Peshawar. “We are negotiating with some foreign airlines and are optimistic of acquiring aircraft on wet lease,” he said, adding that PIA would get two planes on dry lease by September which would help stabilise its operation. “We are in the process of floating a tender for acquiring 10 planes on dry lease this week,” he said.

Four foreign airlines suspended their flights to and from Peshawar and one to and from Karachi after the attacks.

PIA’s flight operation was hampered a month ago after the return of four aircraft it had acquired on wet lease in December last year from Turkish and Czech Republic airlines.

After the expiry of the lease agreement with these airlines, PIA has reduced the number of its foreign and domestic flights to 26.

With total 25 planes in its fleet, PIA has reduced seven flights on Dubai route, one each on Manchester, Barcelona, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka, Abu-Dhabi and Kuwait and remaining on domestic routes.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2014: http://www.dawn.com/news/1116709/4-airlines-refuse-to-lease-aircraft-to-pia