EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europe

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EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europe

Post by Abbas Ali »

European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in its January 20, 2022, reply to CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik has informed:

We are pleased to hear that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was able to remove the Significant Safety Concern (SSC) that was raised against Pakistan Personnel Licensing (PEL) following the on-site Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) activities performed in Pakistan from 29 November to 10 December 2021. The closure of this SSC was an important step towards a potential lifting of the suspension of PIA Third Country Operators (TCO) Authorization (TCOA).

As indicated in our letter dated 31 March 2021, the emerging situation on the above-mentioned SSC indicated serious degradation of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) certification and oversight capabilities. Such information shall be taken by EASA when lifting the suspension.

Since the suspension of PIA TCOA, the European Union (EU) Commission entered formal consultation with Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and several meetings took place under the remits of the EU Air Safety List (ASL) Regulation (EC) 2111/2005 with the active participation of the EU Commission, PCAA and EASA. These discussions revealed the need to address the overall oversight capacity of PCAA.

Even if Pakistan is not listed on the EU ASL, these consultations are still on-going and according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2070 of 25 November 2021, amending Regulation (EC) No 474/2006, EU Commissions will continue to engage with PCAA and monitor the further measures adopted and actions taken to address the situation in Pakistan, including through the outcome of the planned International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) audit, as well as through a Union on-site assessment visit to Pakistan.

Additionally, in accordance with Article 235(d) of the TCO Regulation (EU) No 452/2014, EASA shall conduct an audit of the operator prior to lifting the suspension. Since deficiencies in the State oversight were a contributor to the suspension decision, such audit will have to include an assessment to verify if these deficiencies have been properly addressed and corrected.

Further to the abovementioned article of the TCO Regulation, the audit shall take place under the preconditions that:

(1) the third country operator agrees to be audited;
(2) the outcome of the assessments indicates that there is a possibility that the audit will have a positive result; and
(3) the audit can be performed at the third country operator’s facilities without the risk of compromising the security of the Agency’s personnel.

As regards to element (2) above, EASA will have to evaluate the latest USOAP audit report in its entirety to determine the robustness of the certification and oversight capacity of PCAA in general and beyond the shortcomings that led to the SSC. Furthermore, in view of the on-going consultation under the EU ASL, the on-site technical evaluation must be performed with the European Commission.

Therefore, EASA will need further coordination for the planning of any mission to Pakistan closely with the European Commission.

As regards to element (3) above, EASA will explore with help of the responsible EU services the necessary conditions under which EASA staff is authorized to travel to Pakistan without compromising their security.

Finally, on-site activities are currently heavily depending on the COVID-19 pandemic and its daily evolutions.

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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by dragonfly »

Can’t see PIA in EU before late summer/Autumn at the earliest especially with the current Covid situation🤦🏻Good opportunity for VS and BA.
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by Usman123 »

Summary of the letter?
When will this new audit start
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by Abbas Ali »

^ EASA team visit to Pakistan for PIA audit and assessment depends on:

* PIA's readiness/preparedness for EASA audit.
* Satisfactory security situation for EASA team safe visit to PIA facilities in Pakistan.
* COVID-19 situation for EASA team air travel to Pakistan.

Maybe PIA to hire some experienced foreign agency to prepare the airline and its facilities for undergoing EASA audit with positive result.

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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by pk363 »

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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by Blackbird »

Is it possible that UK flights are not subject to this EU audit? Technically UK is no longer in EU.
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by London Flyer »

As frustrating as it is to for Pakistani airlines to not be able to operate, if all these audits mean that there will be fewer fatal incidents and hull losses in the future, that is a good thing. The pilot issue may have been an exaggeration but PCAA and PIA did need to improve safety oversight.

Maybe I’m clutching at straws.
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by Pakistan-1 »

Blackbird wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:44 pm Is it possible that UK flights are not subject to this EU audit? Technically UK is no longer in EU.
You need to overfly EU Airspace.
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by Abbas Ali »

* European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Third Country Operators (TCO) authorisation is not required for operators only overflying without intended landing.

* As a result of the decision of the United Kingdom (UK) to leave the European Union, foreign air operators are no longer required to hold an EASA TCO Authorisation in order to operate to the UK.

Applicability of Part-TCO

Any third-country operator that intends to perform commercial air transport (CAT) operations into, within or out of any of the following territories requires a Third Country Operators (TCO) authorisation issued by European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA):

* the 27 Member States of the European Union
* the 4 EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland)
* the following territories in which Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the so called “Basic Regulation” applies: Åland Islands, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, * Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Martin, Mayotte

A TCO authorisation is not required for operators only overflying the abovementioned territories without intended landing.

As a result of the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, foreign air operators are no longer required to hold an EASA TCO Authorisation in order to operate to the United Kingdom.

Source:
https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/air- ... -operators
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by umar744 »

how how how are PIA OVERFLY Finland / Sweden / Norway between YYZ Toronto and Pak? PIA can fly to UK without landing any EU yes or no?
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by pk363 »

umar744 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:23 am how how how are PIA OVERFLY Finland / Sweden / Norway between YYZ Toronto and Pak? PIA can fly to UK without landing any EU yes or no?
You are absolutely right in this case :thumbs_up: PIA Canada bound flights are using European air space so there is no such restrictions in case if UK authorities allow PIA to operate
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by TheAnalyst »

I think the UK still applies EU regulation or follows their guidelines.

While I am dissapointed by this, I think it will help to change some culture towards safety hopefully.
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by nopy99 »

TheAnalyst wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:21 pm I think the UK still applies EU regulation or follows their guidelines.
Seems like EASA is in no rush to recertify Pakistani carriers.

yes, UK still uses EASA Air safety list as the basis for their own list, however UK can independently certify if they want to. Given the risk and costs, its unlikely UK CAA will do their own independent audit and certification.

UK CAA approach to certification is on this link

https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-indust ... tificates/

and current Air safety list is here. Note all Pakistani carriers are on the banned list.

https://www.caa.co.uk/media/5fwfpd4s/uk ... r-2021.pdf
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by umar744 »

IF happen any emergency landing or divert to need landing in UK or any EU between Pakistan and YYZ Toronto example passenger sick or death or technical problem or engine failure or fire I ask you for yes or no PIA allow land anywhere in UK & EU only emergency? Canada Govt are very good kind big heart nice allowed welcome PIA to Toronto better than UK & EU
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Re: EASA Team to Make On-site Assessment Visit to Pakistan & Conduct PIA Audit Before Allowing PIA Flights to/from Europ

Post by faisal-777 »

Since this issue came to light, why only EU banned flights from PK and not Gulf, Canada or other regions in Asia? :-k
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