The Boeing 747 on flight PK 3539, carrying pilgrims to Jeddah, taxied towards the runway despite concerns from passengers.
“When we boarded the plane, we smelt a strange smell and smoke inside. We complained to the crew, but they ignored it and told us it was because of roasted meals,” Shamshad Begum, a passenger,
told AFP.
“The plane went for take-off but stopped minutes later when passengers protested strongly and there was chaos,” she said.
PIA spokesperson Sultan Hassan said there were 493 pilgrims bound for Makkah and Madina and 15 crew on board. They were re-routed on another flight that finally took off nine hours later. “The hydraulic system of the plane failed just before take-off and its fumes came inside the cabin,” Hassan told AFP.
“We off-loaded the passengers and sent them on another plane to Jeddah at 12 pm.” Recent reports have been rife with horror stories of technical faults and chronic delays blighting the ailing national carrier over the last few weeks.
Last month, bomb alerts forced two PIA planes to land at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and in Kuala Lumpur, but no bombs were found. PIA operates special flights every year to transport thousands of pilgrims for Hajj every year.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2011.
COMMENTS (36)
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The aircraft to employee ratio is alarmingly high in PIA. Approx 25000 employees for a fleet of 40 planes.12 planes will phase out this december,which will leave PIA with 28 planes. No wonder PIA has no money for refuelling.After paying salaries,tada, Bounces,pensions,commissions,kickbacks,bribey,airport duties ,it leaves PIA with no money. Right sizing is urgently needed in PIA.During haj season alone oia shiuld be able Recoverer half of the expenses.easyjet in UK has fleet of aprox 600 Planes and 6000 emoloyees...
@ayesha: I am an Indian by birth but Pakistani at heart....the pain that a pakistani citizen undergoes hurts me.Pakistan which should have been a citadel of art, shayari/ghazals and sufism has been hijacked.....I pray that Pakistan rediscovers its soul.
roasted meal? hahahah
cabin crew should be worried about their own safety if not of the passengers!
This PPPP is a Crap... These monsters will take away each n everything from the country.
privatise the airline. once its aim is to make profit, it will work harder and more effiiciently.
It is time to train the crew for the difference between the roasted food smell and the smoke that fills the cabin as a result of some technical fault.
PIA should scrap all of its aircrafts one by one to avert any possible mid-air crash.
People avoid traveling in PIA aircrafts due to its poor maintenance and arrogant attitude of its crew.
The ground handling staff also does not take care of the full revenue passengers comparing to other foreign carriers operating from Pakistan.
It is the need of the hour to give a new look to national carrier, as day by day it is losing its credibility among its passengers.
PIA is the one which established Emirates Airlines but when the passengers compare the service and comfort of PIA with Emirates Airlines it does not match at all.
@Diggvijay Singh: some sane voice from across the border....
@Khan: "For heavens sake privatize PIA & Railways … both of them will become profitable within a year at most. "
KESC was privatised. What happened?
@M. A. Changezi: "Pundit: Very proud of equating your intelligence service with CIA eh? Give up that sarcasm and have an educated discussion on the subject."
Sorry. Indians do not take PRIDE in causing chaos in other countries. However Pakistan media, several politicians and security analysts routinely blame RAW for happenings within Pakistan i.e. TTP will do suicide bombing and claim credit and then media will blame RAW. This was sarcasm.
For heavens sake privatize PIA & Railways ... both of them will become profitable within a year at most.
We are in a nose down state. The world is progressing by leaps and bounds as access to information has becomes so fast that we cant make a comparison. that was a time when we had to search libraries for some information now it requires few minutes of browsing. Also after the popular use of mobile phones the communication has become very easy. But we are on the wrong track actually. Would someone suggest how can we go in the right direction?.
Meals is prepared outside and slightly heated in the flight cabin. Roasting the beef, mutton, and also passengers is the new technology invented by the Pakistani International Airlines. There is something wrong with the nose of the flight attendant who could not smell the roasting. Now it is the turn of PIA after PR to close down and save the country from accumulating debts.
Roasted meals served by PIA smell like an airplane's fried engine? And I thought art of cuisine was still alive and well in Pakistan. I'll be damned!!
"roasted meals"...the Passengers would almost have been
There been too many close calls which speak of maintenance of these planes. This should be awakening for PIA management. PIA pilots should refuse to fly these planes until maintenance is improved as a disaster is just around the corner.
Roasted meals on PIA and the passengers believed them? That statement alone should have made everyone instantly suspicious!
Why is anyone surprised? I mean, we get electricity and the railways shuts down. Railway is back up and electricity shuts down. PIA is partly running, railways is partly running and we get some load shedding. Not a bad combo! It could have been worse. Dont you all love democracy in full swing
@Sharjeel Jawaid: ...probably that is also one of the firsts in playing with human lives
"Great People to FRY With"
Let's just sell off this government-owned airline and make it a private airline. Privatising PIA is the only solution to redeem its lost glory and to ensure an 'Emirates' in the making
PIA was once a World Class Airline. It was a pioneer in a number of firsts. Incompetence, Corruption & Nepotism has made an expample out of it; similar to many other National Institutions.
This is amazing. These incidents have started happening much more frequently. I believe its a question mark on PIA engineering and CAA which gives air-worthiness certificate to aircrafts.
I guess the no smoking sign must have been off!
“When we boarded the plane, we felt a strange smell and smoke inside. We complained to the crew but they ignored it and told us it was because of roasted meals,” Shamshad Begum, a female passenger, told AFP.
I have a firm believe on the punchline of PIA now i.e. "Great People to Fly With" .. as they know more about a jet plane then its crew!
Well this is just one plane. Number of such incidents have happened in other countries and get brushed under the carpet. It is due to the free media in Pakistan that this incident has come out in the open. It will be taken care of easily.
Who to blame?
a) RAW b) Mossad c) CIA d) Illumanati e) Dajaal f) Jealous world of Pakistan's potential g) All of the above
Fumes in the cabin? May be it was Mohd. Asif, smoking something funny in the plane!
I can see the hand of CIA/RAW.... No smoke without a Fire