Delay in flights: Pilgrims smash PIA counter at Jeddah

[Abbas Ali]

JEDDAH/PESHAWAR: Peshawar-bound pilgrims at Jeddah Airport attacked PIA counter at Hajj terminal at Jeddah Airport and shattered its window panes due to delay in their flights.

According to a private TV channel, about 600 pilgrims were scheduled to return to their homes by two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights: PK-3830 and PK-3826 but the planes developed technical faults at 9:00pm on the night between Monday and Tuesday. The pilgrims waited for their flights in open air.

Later, they turned violent and broke down the window panes of PIA counter.

The Saudi security forces controlled the situation and vacated the terminal from Hajjis.

Soon after the incident, PIA General Manager Col. Talat Omar visited the Hajj Terminal and made alternate arrangements for the return of the pilgrims.

Source: The News (January 10, 2007)

[AbdulAziz]

Asslam u alikum

According to Urdu news paper here in KSA "Urdu news" that the planes that rented y PIA for Hajj flights were not worthy for long flights and most of other airlines refused to get them on rent.
According to them the both planes were rented plans which have flown from PAK to JED and got tech. problems and grounded at JED.

A.Aziz

[inducedrag]

The second most important reason is that most of staff posted to JED is because of political and personal connection not their capability and they are not able to handle the load you should see the confusion in PIA counters.

[ConnieMan]

Asslam u alikum

According to Urdu news paper here in KSA "Urdu news" that the planes that rented y PIA for Hajj flights were not worthy for long flights and most of other airlines refused to get them on rent.
According to them the both planes were rented plans which have flown from PAK to JED and got tech. problems and grounded at JED.

A.Aziz

If its true then it more sounds like PIA never took any lessons form Nation Air's DC8 that was leased by Nigerial Airways in early 90s that burned and crashed in Jeddah with returning Hajjis on board!, in a way its good what happened with those planes and they got grouned before commencing return flights with our Hajjis onboard!, is there any way these 2 perticular aircrafts can be tracked by anyone?...that would be very interesting to know.

[Moin]

If I'm not mistaken, hasn't PIA got 742's and A310's for the hajj flights? Maybe it isn't the fault of the a/c but rather the 'administration' that controls their operation?

As for becoming bulls in a china shop, those actions have pretty much defeated their purpose of going and performing hajj. Once you've performed hajj, your first action is to go on a demolition rampage.

[Max]

Later, they turned violent and broke down the window panes of PIA counter.

The sprite of haj diminish quickly.

[SalamPaks]

Later, they turned violent and broke down the window panes of PIA counter.

The sprite of haj diminish quickly.

I agree.

[CoyBoy]

Must have been the L1011's, as for Hajj its become into more of a ritual than a spiritual journey for most people.

[VirtualPIA]

agree with coyboy........
disagree with inducedrag......
PIA staff is helpful, but if you show up with 200 kgs of luggage, dont stand in line, etc., etc. I think it is ok for them to get angry.
Have you seen the look on any airline official's face when he is about to handle a few thousand people with a few thousand kgs of extra luggage for 1 month?
I guess we cant blame either side....last year PIA office was badly damaged at Madinah, after people tore down its board......they'd been waiting since fajar for the office to open at 9 am......then their security guy attacked a couple of people, it turned real ugly before the cops showed up......last year a similar thing happened with some Saudia staff too.....ahh this happens every year, nothing new here.........
The airplane was a leased TriStar, and PIA sources said the plane went technical at Karachi and left late for Jeddah.......

[AP-BGL]

L1011 are having serious problems, people say it’s a machine and these type of technical problems use to develop in it but these can be minimized by improving either maintenance standards or by carefully selecting a plane which is good in condition and lesser in age. Of course as the age increases the credibility of machine goes down and you can see manufacturing year of these leased L1011s.

I feel really sorry for those hajji’s.

[VirtualPIA]

L1011 are having serious problems, people say it’s a machine and these type of technical problems use to develop in it

Had you flown on a TriStar in the 80's you'd have preferred it over every other plane until the 777........there is an obvious difference between the operation of a gleaming new machine, and a very old one......
However I recall a European Airline's L1011's doing aborted take off's 2/3 in a row, every single day in 2005 or early 06....and I read those were the last one in operation, besides Air Universal and Saudi Royal Flight Division.
On the other hand, Saudia's royal flight division keeps and flies 2 TriStars, which are obviously very striclty maintained.........so its all about maintenance and aircraft age basically.....
Anyone who has flown on the tristar ( a new one, and seated well away from the no 2 engine ) will tell you that it was one of the greatest machines of its time........
Since this is a charter airline, and the airplanes are old too....problems bound to happen, cant help it.....

[AP-BGL]

L1011 are having serious problems, people say it’s a machine and these type of technical problems use to develop in it

Had you flown on a TriStar in the 80's you'd have preferred it over every other plane until the 777........there is an obvious difference between the operation of a gleaming new machine, and a very old one......
However I recall a European Airline's L1011's doing aborted take off's 2/3 in a row, every single day in 2005 or early 06....and I read those were the last one in operation, besides Air Universal and Saudi Royal Flight Division.
On the other hand, Saudia's royal flight division keeps and flies 2 TriStars, which are obviously very striclty maintained.........so its all about maintenance and aircraft age basically.....
Anyone who has flown on the tristar ( a new one, and seated well away from the no 2 engine ) will tell you that it was one of the greatest machines of its time........
Since this is a charter airline, and the airplanes are old too....problems bound to happen, cant help it.....

Your post is actually self-explanatory and exactly what I was mentioning. L1011s might have been the best plane of their time but you know as the time passes problems use to come more often, in the same way as a person in youth is more active and healthy rather than an old man who is less active and different kind of problems (diseases) catch him more quickly. Similarly B777 which is now considered as the best plane with no match won’t be considered as the best after a decade, other modern machines at that time will over take it for sure.