PIA administration blamed for two ATR accidents
The audit report 2021-22 of the Auditor General Pakistan
(AGP) has declared the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s administration
responsible for the accidents of two ATR aircraft.
The AGP said in clear terms that the accidents of two ATR planes
at Gilgit and Karachi airports were caused by the negligence of the PIA
administration, which incurred a huge financial loss of Rs. 2,796 million to
the national carrier.
An ATR plane that met an accident at Karachi airport on
November 24, 2018 caused a financial loss of Rs. 10.1398 million to the airline
while another accident took place at Gilgit airport on July 20 that resulted in
financial loss of over Rs. 10.1398 to the national carrier.
Despite different reasons mentioned for the accidents in the
investigation report compiled by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA),
the AGP audit report blamed squarely on the negligence of the PIA
administration.
The auditors said that the aviation authority mentioned the
reasons for the accidents due to malfunctioning technical equipment required
for maintenance, the lack of professionalism in the airline’s maintenance crew,
failure in the implementation of the SOPs, flawed decisions and the role of the
first officer.
Source: Pakistan Today