Negligence, mismanagement leads PIA to ground most of its fleet
Engineers at Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) have alleged that poor management decisions and maintenance
failures have severely crippled the national carrier’s operations, cutting its
active fleet from 34 aircraft to just 12, according to recent reports.
Speaking at a ceremony in Karachi on
Friday, officials from the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP)
accused PIA’s administration of negligence and non-technical decision-making.
SAEP’s Secretary General said the ongoing decline stemmed from “short-sighted
and non-technical choices” made by management, not from any failure on the part
of engineers.
Read More Delays
in routine aircraft maintenance cost 38 billion rupees to PIA
He cited the suspension of PIA’s Canada operations as an example, saying it occurred after the airline failed to replace a plane’s landing gear within a three-month deadline. Although the replacement gear was later flown in from Germany, the necessary tools were missing—leaving the aircraft grounded indefinitely.
The official further warned that
improper maintenance procedures on Boeing 777 aircraft could soon make them
unserviceable. He claimed that engineers were being pressured to approve
technically defective planes for flight, calling such practices unsafe and
unacceptable.
“We will never compromise on
passenger or aircraft safety,” he stressed, adding that engineers were working
under “extreme stress” due to administrative pressure.
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report reveals financial mismanagement of over Rs 3 Billion in Ministry of
Aviation, PCAA, and ASF
While reaffirming that engineers were not against PIA’s privatization, the SAEP Secretary General urged the government to appoint “a permanent and responsible owner” to stabilize operations. He also announced that the Certificate of Authorization would remain suspended until engineers are guaranteed a safe and pressure-free working environment.
Source: Profit Pakistan