PIA's safety issues continue to worry

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PIA’s safety issues continue to worry



By Saad Hasan

KARACHI: Amidst media reports that the top management of Pakistan International Airlines is being summoned to Islamabad to explain its plan of action to combat rising losses, there are information that warnings have been issued over safety standards.

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has placed PIA under scrutiny after a series of inspections carried out on aircraft operating into UK, Germany, Norway, France, Denmark, Italy and other EU countries, aviation officials told The News on Monday.

The national flag carrier was issued written warnings to improve maintenance of its aircraft fleet. However, there are fears its engineering department has so far made no effort for proper rectification of emerging defects on Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus 310 aircraft operating into Europe. Sources close to EASA, quote the example of PIA’s Boeing 747s, which operated into European cities before being barred on safety concerns.

However, when contacted, PIA officials denied that the airline had been blacklisted by the European Union. “However, PIA aircraft like other airlines are inspected at European destinations,” said spokesman Imran Ghaznavi.

The PIA official, however, conceded that the European Commission has communicated “certain observations” pertaining to minor defects and general appearance of PIA aircraft. But some aviation officials say that the defects were not minor. On August 24, an EASA official, Christine Smith, gave a written warning to PIA, regarding fuel spillages from the aircraft due to its defective re-fuelling system. The report quoted a fuel spillage of 80 litres on July 31, 2004.

Earlier on January 20, Graeme Chehyne, General Manager Total, the company that provides fuel to PIA at Heathrow, had cautioned the airline that out of 520 PIA flights re-fuelled during 2003, there were over 12 flights where fuel spillages through vents were reported.
This is almost 1:43 venting against the average of 1:2425 experienced for refuel operations of all other airlines. Total had sought assurances from PIA to ensure within eight days that “no future venting occurs during our refuel operations” at Heathrow, sources said.

The oil firm had specifically mentioned the registration of two PIA Boeing 747s with a history of such defects including fuel spillages during refuel, above the essential minimum safety requirements set by EASA.

Investigations by The News reveal that when PIA initially got five Boeing 747-367 aircraft from Cathay Pacific, there existed no such problems. But two of the aircraft had the digital Smith Fuel Quantity Indication System, which had a history of erroneous indications, and as such are not recommended in the industry.

PIA officials say, however, that PIA has reacted promptly to observations made by the EU. The airline says that it has submitted an action plan and briefed EU officials about the competence and commitment of PIA to address these issues. A team of PIA and CAA delegates also visited Brussels where they submitted this action plan, the airline says.


The NEWS, Tuesday, November 14, 2006, Shawal 21, 1427 A.H.

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I did not want to say regarding fuel oil and hyraulic leaks (specially fuel spillages) in my earlier posts, instead I gave you guys a hint, to look it up in google earth, compare the jinnah terminal parking stands, full of black sh**, and then see any EU airport parking stands. You will see a remarkable difference.