EASA Audit/SAFA inspections

[FULLTHRUST]

Can any one shed some light on recent visit of EU team to PIA/CAA Pak with regards to *BANNING* PIA to Europe.


zerbaer, combifan, and others!!

[zerbaer]

DAWN 22 Feb


‘EC inspects CAA operation’


By Baqir Sajjad Syed


ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: The European Commission has inspected the operation of the Civil Aviation Authority to see what measures it has taken for rectifying flaws in its monitoring mechanism.

Federico Grandini, European Commission’s Air Safety Administrator, who led a three-member delegation to Pakistan last week, has confirmed such an inspection.

The CAA’s aviation standards were questioned after faults were detected on several PIA planes during inspections at European airports.

The shortcomings were notified to the CAA and the PIA, but the problems were not fixed and European countries ultimately warned of banning PIA operation.

[FULLTHRUST]

That means PIA is *THIS CLOSE* getting banned by EASA. I have heard that *TOP* PIA & CAA guys have followed the EC team to Brussels. Lets see what happens next.

[zerbaer]

..SAY IT ISN't SO !


The news - 23 Feb

MoD mantra: fly high — but on merit

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence suggests the appointment of qualified persons as Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) chairman and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director-general, endorsing the finding of an inquiry report which concluded that the incumbents were not competent enough to hold these positions.

“Being highly technical and complex, their (Pakistan International Airlines Corporation and Civil Aviation Authority) top managements should have adequate experience, knowledge and expertise to lead these organisations,” a summary moved to the prime minister said.

Sent by the defence secretary with the approval of the senior minister for defence, the summary also contained the report of inquiry board that probed the Fokker crash in Multan which occurred last year.

Defence Secretary Lieutenant-General (r) Tariq Waseem Ghazi has recommended sweeping changes and overhauling of the PIAC and CAA. In line with the indings of inquiry report, Ghazi has blamed the top PIAC management for the Multan’s tragic incident.

“Lack of supervision, control, guidance and professionalism exhibited by the top management of PIAC; juxtapose, less than desired motivation level of the employees was just a perfect recipe for this accident to happen,” Ghazi said in his summarised note.

He has also asked for strict disciplinary action against those who failed to perform during the overhaul of the engine and carrying out quality inspection and issued certificate of airworthiness to the Fokker plane that crashed in Multan.

The report of inquiry board, forwarded by the Ministry of Defence, is categoric in asserting that the PIA chairman and CAA DG were not qualified enough to serve against the jobs assigned to them.

“The PIAC chairman might have had vast experience in running the business organisation(s) but he did not possess any experience to run a technical & complex organisation like PIAC,” the report said and added in case of CAA DG, “Under CAA rules the DG of CAA is to have 16 years of flying experience and he should have served in an aviation organisation of national repute. On the contrary, incumbent CAA DG did not fulfil the above criteria and had the experience of only corporate sector.”

PIAC Chairman Tariq Kirmani was MD Pakistan State Oil (PSO) before his present appointment. CAA DG Farooq Rehmatullah was chairman of the Pakistan Refinery Limited before assuming the current position.

“The PIAC and CAA should be organised and operated on the lines dictated by PIAC Act, 1956 & Rules, 1958 and CAA Ordinance, 1982 and Rules, 1994,” Ghazi said in his recommendations to the prime minister.

Ghazi moved the summary (Min of Def u.o. No. AT-8(4)/2006), the copy of which was made available to ‘The News’ by a source in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. It substantiated its recommendations in the light of findings and suggestions of the inquiry board that probed into the crash of Fokker plane in Multan last year.

“The senior minister for defence has authorised the submission of the summary. Submitted for kind perusal and appropriate action as deemed necessary,” he said in his summarised note. The prime minister has, however, yet to approve the summary that raised serious questions over the appointment of the PIAC chairman and CAA DG against the criteria dictated by rules.

Notwithstanding demands made time and again by the parliament to make public the inquiry report, it has been lying pending in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for last two months, it has been learnt.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Major (r) Tanvir Ahmad admitted before the National Assembly last week that his ministry wanted to make the report public but could not do so due to some ‘hurdles’.

‘The News’ sent the MoD’s observations to the PIAC chairman with its copy forwarded to the GM Public Relations, asking for comments on objections raised in the summary. The PIAC’s spokesman opted not to respond on the issue, saying that since the summary was a classified document still awaiting approval of the prime minister, hence he could not offer any comment.

Ghazi said the tragic incident was avoidable but could not due to lack of professionalism on part of the top management. He made the point in line with the suggestion of inquiry board that probed the Multan crash.

According to the summary of inquiry report, the age of Fokker aircraft had no bearing on this accident and all technical defects found in the crashed aircraft would have remained a cause of such tragic incidents in future.

A four-member inquiry board probed into the crash. The defence secretary has duly approved its findings and recommendations. President of Safety Investigation Board (SIB) Air Commodore Junaid Ameen (CAA) headed the inquiry board. Other members were Group Captain Mujahid Khan (PAF), Wing Commander (r) Naseem Ahmad (CAA) and Captain Shah Nawaz Dara (PIA).

Ghazi, in his summary note, said the tragic crash could have been avoided but the unprofessional handling of the emergency situation by the pilots resulted in loss of 45 precious lives and destruction of aircraft.

The engine failure was attributed primarily to the maintenance malpractices at engine overhaul shop of PIA during assembly process and was not detected by the PIAC Quality Engineering and Airworthiness CAA, secretary noted in the summarised findings.

The unprofessional handling of the emergency by the aircrew had its roots in the PIAC’s training/assessment, scheduling system and inadequacies in the Safety Division. It was further compounded by the poor execution of the Crew Resources Management and Human Factor Programs, the secretary said.

In his recommendations, the defence secretary said the working efficiency of quality control at PIAC Maintenance and Engineering should be improved to minimise poor maintenance and maintenance malpractices. The airworthiness directorate at CAA should enhance surveillance of Engine Overhaul Shop at PIAC Engineering. The Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program (SOAP) should be utilised for all engines, he further recommends.

A study should be carried out with a view to determine the inadequacies in flying training/assessment system, the summary recommends. Crew Resource Management (CRM) training be made meaningful with participation from cockpit crew and qualified facilitators be deployed, the recommendations said.

While scheduling, the pairing be done in a manner that at least one of the two aircrew should possess substantial experience on the type in their capacity as captain or co-pilot. PIA should institutionalise their system to study the human behaviour of aircrew with a view to pre-empt their behaviour under emergencies.

Figure of 72 kgs of weight per person used for the calculation of all up weight in the trim sheet should be reviewed. Safety Investigation Board (SIB), CAA, should be tasked to carry out a study to remove inadequacies in the issuance and renewal of ‘Certificate of Airworthiness’. Safety Division of the PIAC should be made more potent and effective by appointing flight safety specialists with substantial experience in safety programme management.

[FULLTHRUST]

MoD mantra: fly high — but on merit

What a joke, MoD had deputed atleast 4 Chief Engineers in PIA Engg.( Ex-PAF). Where is the merit?

[FMC]

MoD mantra: fly high — but on merit

What a joke, MoD had deputed atleast 4 Chief Engineers in PIA Engg.( Ex-PAF). Where is the merit?

" Hain kawakib kucch nazar aatey hain kuch
Detey hain dhhoka yeh ba(gha)zigar khhula."

[FULLTHRUST]

" Hain kawakib kucch nazar aatey hain kuch
Detey hain dhhoka yeh ba(gha)zigar khhula."

Bhayya maan gya aap ko. Wah ghazi sahab kay kya kehnay hain.

[FMC]

" Hain kawakib kucch nazar aatey hain kuch
Detey hain dhhoka yeh ba(gha)zigar khhula."

Bhayya maan gya aap ko. Wah ghazi sahab kay kya kehnay hain.

Shukriya bhai. Koi to ba shaoor mila. I am impressed.

[AM]

As per law the director engineering should have an AME aircraft maintenance engineers license.This SVP has none.When EU ban was announced he was busy shopping in London.Kirmani was busy celebrating Basant.The team of goofs who were in Brussels for EU verdict came back saying all was well.This team was SVP.Engg. .01 chief engineer Cabin Maint,(youngest chief in history of PIA by bypassing all the capable engineers),01 Dy Chief Audits JAR (has 15yrs of PIA experience only including his trainee engineer training and has least qualifications.

When in an airline the incompetent management promotes people on basis of nepotism and favoritism.Denies the basic rights of its employees(denying medical , denying yearly increments) .When 04 senior Dy chief fall in from the sky bypassing everyone saying they are airforce aces and have come to improve system ,whereas they are misfits and highly non competent.What can be expected.Believe me all capable engineering personnel wanted this to happen.This is the outcome of hurting people who are sincere.

[FULLTHRUST]

As per law the director engineering should have an AME aircraft maintenance engineers license.This SVP has none.When EU ban was announced he was busy shopping in London.Kirmani was busy celebrating Basant.The team of goofs who were in Brussels for EU verdict came back saying all was well.This team was SVP.Engg. .01 chief engineer Cabin Maint,(youngest chief in history of PIA by bypassing all the capable engineers),01 Dy Chief Audits JAR (has 15yrs of PIA experience only including his trainee engineer training and has least qualifications.

When in an airline the incompetent management promotes people on basis of nepotism and favoritism.Denies the basic rights of its employees(denying medical , denying yearly increments) .When 04 senior Dy chief fall in from the sky bypassing everyone saying they are airforce aces and have come to improve system ,whereas they are misfits and highly non competent.What can be expected.Believe me all capable engineering personnel wanted this to happen.This is the outcome of hurting people who are sincere.

Are you still in pain in the a**, (PIA).

[FULLTHRUST]

BTW who is the youngest chief in engg? and Dy chief JAR audits?

[zerbaer]

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Musharraf may talk to EU leaders on PIA

By Sarfaraz Ahmed

KARACHI: President Gen Pervez Musharraf is expected to talk directly to European leaders if the European Union bans Pakistan International Airline’s fleet from operating in the bloc.

“Musharraf and the prime minister will be required to speak to at least some key EU leaders if the airline’s efforts fail to yield results,” sources told Daily Times on Saturday. They said the airline would send a letter to the EU Air Safety Committee to ask it to clarify whether such a decision had been made. About the response to contacts the management had made following a report that claimed all but seven aircraft of the PIA fleet would be banned, they said attempts for this purpose had been fruitless, “as Saturdays and Sundays are not working days in West”.

Asked what possibly could have prompted the decision to ban all but seven aircraft, the sources said this could be a ploy to pressure Pakistan into buying European planes. They said the decision to allow only the Boeings might have been made as challenging an American product would have landed the EU in trouble. They said the EU was also possibly looking at minimising the PIA fleet’s presence because of a recent surge in terrorism in Pakistan.

[AirBlue]

Musharaf shouldnt talk to the EC ... let PIA find a solution themselves. ... yeh safarishain kab tak chalain gi ?!

[FULLTHRUST]

Why would Musharraf talk to EU leaders, it is not the solution, it will worsen the PIA operations, I tell you, it is very hard to accept changes, and if you let PIA go like that, its going to be the *END* of PIA.

Change the culture, bring *MASS* changes, and accept them.

[Viscount]

Musharraf, sifarish, european planes,etc. We all are discussing non-issues and not realizing that this national asset is being stripped off systematically. Islamabad ia aware. CREDITORS' are having a khhushi time in the motherland. PIA is in their bag already.