EU set to ban most PIA Planes

[737NG]

so all we have to do is to wait for us to be banned from US...and then we can buy 737s or 787s

[atmalik]

so now we plan to buy new airbuses to appease the EU authorities and get the restrictions lifted. Tomorrow the US FAA will say something and then we will be looking to buy aircraft from the US. Why cant we just get a sane business model to prevail in PIA so that these issues dont become a problem.

And on a second note. Is PIA the only operator of 743's and A310's into the EU. Dont some EU airlines still have the same aircraft flying there? Wats up with that?

[Abbas Ali]

Restrictions on PIA flights

The situation arising out of temporary operating restrictions imposed by the United Kingdom and Germany on Boeing 747s and Airbus A 310s aircraft of the Pakistan International Airlines could well have grave consequences for the airline. The restriction on PIA aeroplanes from flying to England and Germany came into force on Friday which triggered cancellation of some flights to some European cities and must have caused inconvenience to passengers. Also, whether one likes it or not, the restriction, even if temporary, is not going to be good for PIA’s otherwise good image regarding safety. It is feared that once an EU-wide ban takes effect from March 8, there may be a significant effect on the airline’s flight schedules (PIA normally has over two dozen flights a week to Europe). The government has now stepped in and wants to take emergency measures to address the situation but there is little that it can do in the present circumstances since it is unlikely that the EU will grant an exemption to a single airline merely on political intervention.

Questions need to be asked of the PIA management as to why the situation was allowed to come to a head in the first place. This is especially relevant in the context of remarks made to journalists by the German ambassador in Pakistan who, when asked about his country’s ban on PIA aircraft, said that the airline had been told of this possibility over a year back and had been asked at that time to address EU concerns regarding safety and maintenance standards. Clarifications had been issued by the airline that the matter was not as serious as made out in some news reports and had to do more with the appearance of the aircraft and their interior design and not with anything that may be construed as affecting airline safety. The airline has also said that its senior management made presentations to the EU’s Air Safety Committee in October and November 2006 and again in February 2007 to present its case that efforts were being made to address the problem. However, the fact of the matter is that the outcome of these meetings did not make the EU change its mind and it went ahead with this temporary restriction.

Despite all that the PIA management claims, the bottomline is that some of its aircraft have been disallowed — albeit temporarily — from flying on routes that are a major revenue earner. While the airline can continue to service these routes using its flagship B-777 aircraft, the bigger damage comes to the reputation of the airline, which was once considered one of the best in Asia. Of course, equally adverse is bound to be the impact on its revenue generation given that its ability to service European routes will be restricted. This is in turn bound to affect its financial position, which for various internal and external reasons, has not been all that sound. One needs to ask why the management did not take the issue seriously in the first place and whether this is a ploy to convince the government to justify the purchase of more B-777 aircraft. These aircraft are costing the airline considerably in terms of financial servicing and are not being used as per the projections made when the first batch was inducted. These are some hard questions that need to be asked when the government takes up the issue.

Source: The News - Editorial

[Viscount]

Restrictions on PIA flights One needs to ask why the management did not take the issue seriously in the first place and whether this is a ploy to convince the government to justify the purchase of more B-777 aircraft. These aircraft are costing the airline considerably in terms of financial servicing and are not being used as per the projections made when the first batch was inducted. These are some hard questions that need to be asked when the government takes up the issue.
Source: The News - Editorial

This seems to be the most plausible reason considering the track record of the present CEO and his predecessors.
The editor has pin pointed the theme of the EU saga.

[Gulistan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6418891.stm


EU bans Pakistan airline flights
The crashed plane
Pakistan grounded PIA's Fokker fleet after a crash last July
The European Union has barred most of the planes of Pakistan International Airlines from flying to the 27-nation bloc because of safety concerns.

The ban affects 35 of the airline's fleet of 42 aircraft, with just seven Boeing 777s exempted.

The EU said last year it would ban flights unless the airline revamped its ageing fleet.

PIA said last week it strongly opposed the planned ban, which it did "not consider justifiable".

The airline's flights to London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam will be among those affected.

The EU said it based its ruling on safety concerns surrounding the condition of PIA's fleet of 747s and Airbus 310s.

The EU has allowed the airline to continue to operate its flagship 777s.

'Grave consequences'

Last week, a team led by the airline's chairman and the Pakistan envoy to Brussels met with EU representatives to try to resolve the issue.

A PIA statement released after that meeting said it "strongly disagreed with the EU's proposed action and on the given facts does not consider it to be justifiable".

The ban spells further trouble for an airline once regarded as the best in Asia, observers say.

The routes affected are some of the most lucrative for the airline and will be a blow for its revenues, they say.

"I would say we will have to cut at least 15% to 20% of our European operations," a PIA official told Reuters news agency.

PIA took a large cut in its domestic and Middle Eastern revenues after the Pakistani government forced it to ground its outdated Fokker fleet.

The action was taken following a huge public outcry after a number of accidents involving the aircraft, one of which resulted in a crash killing 45 people in July 2006.

Separately, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, removed Phuket Air of Thailand and the African carrier DAS Air Cargo from its list of banned aircraft after they made safety improvements.

[Jacobin777]

Restrictions on PIA flights One needs to ask why the management did not take the issue seriously in the first place and whether this is a ploy to convince the government to justify the purchase of more B-777 aircraft. These aircraft are costing the airline considerably in terms of financial servicing and are not being used as per the projections made when the first batch was inducted. These are some hard questions that need to be asked when the government takes up the issue.
Source: The News - Editorial

This seems to be the most plausible reason considering the track record of the present CEO and his predecessors.
The editor has pin pointed the theme of the EU saga.

these "777" consipracy theories make me laugh.....seems as if they are straight from "The X-Files"......

PK's loads have been fine enough for them to make money..the B777's arent going out empty...

Fleet uitilisation, CASM, politics, corruption, ect. is what is causing PK this current problem.....if PK ran like the wa a proper airline should, it would be profitable and not having planes banned and losing money...

Mangement needs to be replaced...

[Che]

Well if you look at the hiring practices at PIA, for the last 15 - 20 years, this is not surprising. Most of the engineers, managers that were hired in the 50's , 60 and 70's have retired, and corrupt, inept people were hired starting in mid 80's (thanx to Gen. Zia ul Haq). PIA has been mismanaged so grossly, that the only way out is to sell it. It is a pain to see PIA drop to this level in world aviation.

Before the Zia's era, people like MA geography, BSc Botoany, have been the chief engineers and director engg of pia. what are you talking about. The most brilliant people in engineering were hired in 80s and early 90s, majority have left pia due to matriculate/non-matriculate boses and their policies.

It is apparent that you have a profound dislike for Zia for whatever reason, but your pinning PIA's performance and deterioration fiasco on Zia, is as ill-conceived and illogical as claiming Tariq Kirmani is the best CEO in airline industry...



I strongly disagree with it. Just look at the graph of PIA and you will clearly see it started going down during Zia's tenure. The cabin crew hired was pathetic alongwith the ground crew. The Flight Operations and Engineering dept. fared somewhat better, but is now gradually on a downhill track too.

Let me qoute you something from facts. The day martial law was imposed in Pakistan, my uncle, who was a senior Accounting officer(Malik Zulfiqar) in PIA had a visit from a senior leader from PIA union plus my Dad just happen to be visiting him at the same time. This union leader (who was a PPP jayala), was well dressed but spoke URdu like Benazir does. The union leader was fighting was 2000 others jayala's who were fired by PIA a month for not showing for work in the first place for 3 months. Second, they had failed for than 4 times to show up for any training courses which they are required too take and pass. This union leader rude and was threatening with attack on the office with other jayalas if their demands are met to reinstate the fired jayalas.

To set the record straight, the greatest amount of damage PIA suffered was from ZULFIQAR ALI BHUTTOS PAKISTAN PEOPLES PARTY. PIA in its history for the first time, got a Union, who had no knowgledge of the airline business, the airline was used to reward jayalas by PPP who had no skills otherwise but only good to collect paychecks but never showup for work. PIA in its history increased its workforce to 17000 employees when it has measly fleet of 28 aircrafts, even airlines in NOrth America with a fleet of 128 aircrafts have that many employees. The list goes on to say the least. PIA has been on the decline since the Peoples party came to power in 1970's.

Well let me tell you another fact. When Zia came into power, the first thing he did at that time was to ban unions in PIA. The President of both PALPA and FENA were kicked out without any reason. They were reinstated back when BB came into power. Next Zia started filling up the Airline with political appointees and people who can't run an airline. If PIA was on a decline since the 1970's, the decline really accelerated during the military regime. And with the advent of Emirates and other Gulf Airlines, all the talent is now going there.

[Max]

793 to ORD cancelled for Mar-06

[zerbaer]

BBC NEWS
EU bans Pakistan airline flights

The European Union has barred most of the planes of Pakistan International Airlines from flying to the 27-nation bloc because of safety concerns.

The ban affects 35 of the airline's fleet of 42 aircraft, with just seven Boeing 777s exempted.

The EU said last year it would ban flights unless the airline revamped its ageing fleet.

PIA said last week it strongly opposed the planned ban, which it did "not consider justifiable".

The airline's flights to London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam will be among those affected.

The EU said it based its ruling on safety concerns surrounding the condition of PIA's fleet of 747s and Airbus 310s.

The EU has allowed the airline to continue to operate its flagship 777s.

'Grave consequences'

Last week, a team led by the airline's chairman and the Pakistan envoy to Brussels met with EU representatives to try to resolve the issue.

A PIA statement released after that meeting said it "strongly disagreed with the EU's proposed action and on the given facts does not consider it to be justifiable".

The ban spells further trouble for an airline once regarded as the best in Asia, observers say.

The routes affected are some of the most lucrative for the airline and will be a blow for its revenues, they say.

"I would say we will have to cut at least 15% to 20% of our European operations," a PIA official told Reuters news agency.

PIA took a large cut in its domestic and Middle Eastern revenues after the Pakistani government forced it to ground its outdated Fokker fleet.

The action was taken following a huge public outcry after a number of accidents involving the aircraft, one of which resulted in a crash killing 45 people in July 2006.

Separately, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, removed Phuket Air of Thailand and the African carrier DAS Air Cargo from its list of banned aircraft after they made safety improvements.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/e ... 418891.stm

Published: 2007/03/05 13:32:43 GMT

[zerbaer]

Japan, Singapore, HK follow in EU footsteps

Staff Report

KARACHI: A new development added to the woes of Pakistan International Airlines – already reeling from a partial European Union ban on its fleet – as three Asian countries on Tuesday followed in the footsteps of European countries by objecting to the airline’s Boeing 747s and Airbus 310s.

Sources told Daily Times that Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore had expressed concern over PIA’s safety standards because of the European Union ban. “The three Asian countries’ concerns ostensibly emanated from the findings of the EU and UK air safety authorities on PIA’s fleet,” the sources told Daily Times. They said the airline’s representatives at the Asian destinations had been approached by the three countries’ officials, as they were keen to know what led to the EU restrictions.

“We immediately allowed the Hong Kong and Singaporean authorities to carry out an inspection of our planes, and find out to their own satisfaction whether the airline was conforming with international safety standards or not,” they said, adding that a Boeing 747 in Hong Kong and an Airbus 310 in Singapore were given a “clean chit” by the air safety authorities of those countries following an investigation on Tuesday.

The inspection of another A310 was expected on Thursday, when the aircraft would fly to Tokyo, they said. The sources told Daily Times that most of the findings of the EU and UK air safety authorities had suggested a lack of professionalism on the part of PIA and CAA, as none of the areas highlighted by the EU and the UK required extraordinary efforts.

“For example, the UK and EU had on several occasions asked the airline’s cockpit crew to carry their licence documents in the shape of plastic-laminated cards, but the CAA, which is responsible for issuing licences, still does not issue these documents like that,” they added. They said that Pakistani authorities had not tried to adopt the procedures and formats being followed in European countries. They said the airline had also been accused of poor maintenance of its suitcase containers.

The sources said that the presence of wet carpets near toilets had been identified as one of the poorest maintained areas of an aircraft by the European authorities. PIA accuses passengers of Pakistani-origin of showering in toilets. The airline’s pilots have also not been observing European guidelines on the use of eyeglasses. The sources said the EU and UK air safety authorities also observed that paint on some of the aircraft had started to peel off. A panel of British lawyers advised Pakistan to address the grey areas the EU and UK had identified, to resolve the matter in three to four months, they added.

APP adds: Separately, PIA Chairman Tariq Kirmani said on Wednesday that the airline had decided to improve flight safety by refurbishing its existing fleet and acquiring new planes on lease. He told Geo News that the second phase of the process to upgrade PIA’s fleet would be launched from March 28.