19 PIA planes grounded
-File photo
ISLAMABAD: Nearly half of the PIA fleet has been grounded because of poor maintenance of its old and outdated aircraft.
“The Pakistan International Airlines is facing grounding of highest ever number of 19 planes in its history,” a source told Dawn on Sunday.
Two PIA aircraft have been grounded after emergency landings in Leeds, UK, and Muscat recently.
But the PIA management termed the grounding of planes a ‘routine’ process of maintenance and repair. Its spokesman Mashhood Tajwar confirmed that 19 aircraft were not operational at present, but said they had not been grounded. “We have to differentiate between grounding of planes and their routine maintenance work,” he said.
The spokesman claimed that only five aircraft were not airworthy. He, however, agreed that several planes were old and needed extraordinary maintenance and repair work.
“Sometimes repair work requires many days and as a result planes cannot fly,” he said. According to sources in the PIA, the department of procurement and purchase was responsible for the delay in maintenance of aircraft because it has been working with three main posts lying vacant for a couple of months.
They said officiating director Omar Razzaq, who is said to be a political appointee, was the only man looking after the affairs of procurement because the posts of general manager purchase technical and logistic, deputy general manager purchase technical and commercial technical and manager purchase and technical had been vacant for some time.
“As three main posts are lying vacant in the procurement department, the purchase of spare parts has been delayed,” the sources said.
The PIA’s information technology department is also said to be working without a director.
The sources said poor marketing had affected PIA’s Umrah season. The national airline “conducts Umrah operation with 50 to 60 flights every year, but this year other airlines provided service to Pakistani pilgrims because PIA’s marketing department failed to talk to Saudi authorities”.
Last year, President Asif Ali Zardari had taken notice of emergency landings by PIA aircraft.
The presidency’s spokesman said: “The president has expressed deep concern and dismay over recurring reports of emergency landings of the national carrier, mostly due to ‘technical reasons’ and said that the first and foremost responsibility of managers of any airline is to ensure that the fleet is in perfect condition to ensure safety of passengers.”
zardari and company plus nawaz sharif and company brought PIA and many other corporations to it’s knees through their hidden agenda.
Now Pakistanis should be greatfull to maintenance engineers or whatever the department that looks after safety issues that these planes are grounded and not allowed to fly careless and dangerous managers. One should know that there are literally thousands of parts in a modern aircraft and any one of which can fail and air disaster can happen. So it is so important that these planes be grounded. It is the right thing to do.
Strongly suggest to privatise Pia before it is too late.
There is no systematic management process as far as PIA operations go. The quality of service is extremely poor and rates among the lowest. It started with slogan Great people to fly which it carried with prestige until early 90s. It’s management couldn’t manage a lucrative Far East route and give away to Thai airways. And I am sure, there are many more. Time to revamp its fleet and management.
Talking of PÍA, which major Corporations are working properly all these 5 years….these politicians have raped this country in the name of democracy…..
The level of corruption in Pakistan literally reaches to the sky. Unbelievable! Hold on, with a President like that, that is believable.
If ONLY the People of Pakistan were HONEST; then its instituations and its leaders would be Honest too.
We all LOVE to claim we are MUSLIMS; but one of the biggest element for being a Muslim is to be HONEST, Honest to the Creator and Honest to the Creation.
Are we ready to be a Muslim??????
Have the perks been grounded?
What happened to yrs old case of buying rotten planes?
PIA urgently needs to be privatised, only then will the problems be sorted out long term. the politicians must stop interfering with the business.
Himself culprit using political slogans to play with the life of people while bagging commission as a part of procurement process. God save people (P) PIA (P) and Pakistan (P) from most corrupt PPP the country has ever experienced.
Mr Zardari, is the one who appointed approx 4,ooo political hacks into PIA.
The people of Pakistan should hold the govt of Mr Zardari accountable for all the national organizations, virtually comming to a standstill.
What has this PPP govt done for the people ? other than wreak havoc on the country.
National newspapersshould publish report cards on all the Federal Ministers and let the people who elected these Ministers know precisely what these Ministers have done ” For the People “.
Yes you are absolutely right because PIA was such a perfect organization under previous govt. If there were open political appointment then how come our hyper-political chief justice did not take a suo moto notice and how come any of the right wing cronies did not run to the courts for help. They seem to run to courts for everything and Mr CJ is not shy from dragging the govt in courts. Its OK to say that you dont like PPP, its OK to do that but what exactly you are basing your statement on? Right wing media and any clear evidence that you can take to court. If anything there is more military influence in PIA than anyone else.
I wonder when the Pakistani people will wake up and realise their country is disintegrating or actually has disintegrated. WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Can we ground the President and all the senior politicians as well ?
Pathetic
PIA out; Air Indus in. JEAY ZARDARI!
It is PIA’s responsibility for the safety of its passengers and I guess safety of the nation is your responsibility Mr. President. Do you think you are doing any better job than PIA?
Just wondering why can’t PIA use them as buses on roads at least they can avoid fear of falling from sky,.
Privatise PIA and let the private company operate it. The private corporation will not be able to absorb the white elephants. They can go home along with extra numbers of politically appointed personnel.
Bravo Pareshan International Airlines.
keeping in view the present status of PIA, Director MD GM Dept Heads and all Top management should retire with dignity or they all should be fired!
I wish our some of our political leaders hold a protest for this positive cause also.
WOW. the president has expressed deep concern. That should be good enough.
Feeling shame is not one of his virtues….
PIA is reflection of Pakistani government and Pakistani Society. Why people expect any different? Why there is a surprise??
Agree , since the nation is moving away from saying ” Khuda Hafiz as had been the good bye greetings taught for generations !” to ” Allah Hafiz ” bringing in the arabic name Allah instead of Persian word Khuda ,, the depressing and on the down hill dive , the national Air Line , must also conform to the pathetic national moral ethics and say aloud
PLEASE INFORM ALLAH ( P I A ) .
More they say Allah Hafiz, more Hifazat from Allah Pakistanis would need. To that end, Allah has not been very forthcoming.
My heart bleeds witnessing murder of PIA as a corporation by most corrupt government in the history of the country! I don’t slightest of doubt that PIA still has a massive potential if administered by technocrats and disconnected from politics
Blame the Taliban. They could of done something useful and won the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people by ridding the country of corrupt politicians. But they didn’t.
We have being hearing this for a while that ever now an then PIA grounds an aircraft..Considering that now count has officially reached 19, so I assume this is the best time for PIA to run these aircrafts on motor-way or rather on Metro tracks..PIA you Rock!!!
long history of mismanagement, those who bought shares in PIA, lost their investment as share price has dropped to 1/3. Irony is that even strong man like chief of PAF could not dare to fix this issue let alone Asif or any other %.
President is very concerned as it directly impacts the breakfast, lunches, and dinner that Presidential houses gets from PIA’s kitchen. PIA is the most corrupt organization in Pakistan, and it is really sad to see a great and profitable institution is now the worst economical institution of Pakistan. PIA fleet planes were once sold to Emirates when it started, and now look at the state of PIA. Very sad!
When the head of state is Zardari, what else did u expect?