PIA blues III: Obscure vendors keep the planes grounded
Insiders concerned about PIA’s recent appointment of a little-known vendor for procurement of spare parts.
KARACHI:
On September 28, news reports revealed that 10 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft, out of a fleet of 39, were grounded allegedly due to technical faults, lending credence to claims of poor upkeep of the fleet.
Retired flight engineer Saleem Irshad* claims that technical issues in PIA’s fleet are related to the airline’s decision to outsource contracts for procurement of spare parts to substandard companies.
“Maintenance of an airline is directly dependent on its inventory of spare parts and selection of multiple vendors recommended by aircraft manufacturers,” says Irshad. “However, PIA tends to sublet dubious companies with no international credibility for maintaining its fleet.”
He claims that top PIA officials have a financial stake in these vending companies, which aids pilferage of revenues from the airline.
According to Irshad, the technical snags which led to the European Union ban on most of PIA’s aircraft in 2007, was because an obscure vendor in United Kingdom was hired for procuring spare parts.
Repeating the ‘mistake’
Sources within PIA are concerned that the airline on September 24 hired Transworld Aviation FZE, a little-known company located in Dubai, as its exclusive vendor for a period of five years for procurement of spare parts, maintenance repair overhaul and purchase of consumable materials and chemicals.
Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) expressed its reservations about this development in a letter dated September 19, addressing the Managing Director of PIA, Nadeem Yousafzai.
Some of SAEP’s concerns highlighted in the letter were the Dubai-based firm’s inexperience in handling commercial airlines, its limited set-up and lack of inventory of airline spare parts. “Giving the tender to a company with no international reputation in handling airline logistics is a big gamble,” claimed an insider.
Malfunctioning toilet doors
PIA’s newly appointed spokesperson Syed Sultan Hassan, however, disagrees with all these claims.
“There are no maintenance issues,” he says categorically. “There are 160 PIA flights which take off and land daily; it’s not a big deal if one or two of them experience some minor technical difficulty.”
Regarding the 10 grounded planes, he says “they were not grounded because of technical issues but in fact they were being serviced for the hajj operations.”
Hassan also dismissed majority of the defects recently detected by Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA) in PIA’s A-310 plane in France. “A malfunctioning toilet door is not considered a major technical fault.”
Regarding procurement of spare parts, the spokesperson said, “PIA has tried to further streamline its supply chain by choosing the best vendor, Transworld Aviation FZE, after floating a tender in the international market.”
“This company will provide $700 million in credit facility to PIA for 90 days,” he adds. “Such a large credit facility attests to PIA’s good international standing and creditworthiness.”
*names have been changed
On September 28, news reports revealed that 10 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft, out of a fleet of 39, were grounded allegedly due to technical faults, lending credence to claims of poor upkeep of the fleet.
Retired flight engineer Saleem Irshad* claims that technical issues in PIA’s fleet are related to the airline’s decision to outsource contracts for procurement of spare parts to substandard companies.
“Maintenance of an airline is directly dependent on its inventory of spare parts and selection of multiple vendors recommended by aircraft manufacturers,” says Irshad. “However, PIA tends to sublet dubious companies with no international credibility for maintaining its fleet.”
He claims that top PIA officials have a financial stake in these vending companies, which aids pilferage of revenues from the airline.
According to Irshad, the technical snags which led to the European Union ban on most of PIA’s aircraft in 2007, was because an obscure vendor in United Kingdom was hired for procuring spare parts.
Repeating the ‘mistake’
Sources within PIA are concerned that the airline on September 24 hired Transworld Aviation FZE, a little-known company located in Dubai, as its exclusive vendor for a period of five years for procurement of spare parts, maintenance repair overhaul and purchase of consumable materials and chemicals.
Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) expressed its reservations about this development in a letter dated September 19, addressing the Managing Director of PIA, Nadeem Yousafzai.
Some of SAEP’s concerns highlighted in the letter were the Dubai-based firm’s inexperience in handling commercial airlines, its limited set-up and lack of inventory of airline spare parts. “Giving the tender to a company with no international reputation in handling airline logistics is a big gamble,” claimed an insider.
Malfunctioning toilet doors
PIA’s newly appointed spokesperson Syed Sultan Hassan, however, disagrees with all these claims.
“There are no maintenance issues,” he says categorically. “There are 160 PIA flights which take off and land daily; it’s not a big deal if one or two of them experience some minor technical difficulty.”
Regarding the 10 grounded planes, he says “they were not grounded because of technical issues but in fact they were being serviced for the hajj operations.”
Hassan also dismissed majority of the defects recently detected by Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA) in PIA’s A-310 plane in France. “A malfunctioning toilet door is not considered a major technical fault.”
Regarding procurement of spare parts, the spokesperson said, “PIA has tried to further streamline its supply chain by choosing the best vendor, Transworld Aviation FZE, after floating a tender in the international market.”
“This company will provide $700 million in credit facility to PIA for 90 days,” he adds. “Such a large credit facility attests to PIA’s good international standing and creditworthiness.”
*names have been changed
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2011.