The trouble with: Flying PIA
National carrier suffers from faulty planes, delayed flights, union trouble and running billions of rupees in loss.
Facts, figures and opinion below are based on past articles run in The Express Tribune:
• Pakistan International Airlines is suffering a loss of Rs70.7 million per day.
• PIA has already lost Rs110 billion over the past three years.
• Despite the crippling losses, PIA employees (retired and serving) enjoy free travel in Pakistan and abroad.
• Cancellation of around 1,200 PIA flights between Aug-Nov 2011 inflicted Rs410 million loss to the airline.
• PIA’s downhill trend is aided by its powerful unions which force key deals to fall through, shut down airports.
• Over the past three years 2,171 people have been recruited in PIA, which has suffered losses worth Rs100 billion in the same time period.
• PIA recruited 237 people in 2011, 1,179 in 2010, while 684 appointments were made in 2009 and 56 in 2008.
• Thousands of PIA employees sacked by Nawaz Sharif’s government were reinstated by the PPP in 2008.
• The number of people hired by the PPP government is the highest in the history of the national flag carrier.
• The total number of airlines authorised to operate on commercial basis is six, including PIA, Air Blue, Shaheen Air, Indus Air, Bhoja Air and Pearl Air.
• This local competition enhances losses of the national flag carrier.
• In 2011, Iran shut its airspace to Pakistani aircraft due to a six-month $600,000 backlog in transit payments.
• PIA’s aging fleets of aircraft have faced increasing technical issues, forcing many planes to be grounded in 2011.
• On September 28 2011, 10 PIA aircraft, out of a fleet of 39, were grounded allegedly due to technical faults.
• On September 27 2011, flight PK-369 made an emergency landing at Multan Airport due to a malfunctioning generator.
• 24 hours later, UAE-bound flight PK-255 had to land in Karachi due to the same issue.
• On August 6, 2011, PK-745 had to make an emergency landing in Karachi after its landing gear failed to retract.
• On September 2 2011, PK-501 carrying 21 passengers and PK-508 with 32 passengers had to make ‘technical landings’ after engine failures.
• On December 12 2011, 11-19 of PIA’s 39 aircraft were believed to have been grounded for technical reasons.
• A potential reason for technical deficiencies in aircraft is the plummeting standards of engineering in the airline.
• Seven out of 26 local airports were closed down due to suspension of PIA flights on account of insufficient traffic load.
• Despite all this, PIA fights on the domestic sector fly with full loads due to lack of viable alternatives.
• The national carrier continues to cost Pakistan billions of rupees.
• Pakistan International Airlines is suffering a loss of Rs70.7 million per day.
• PIA has already lost Rs110 billion over the past three years.
• Despite the crippling losses, PIA employees (retired and serving) enjoy free travel in Pakistan and abroad.
• Cancellation of around 1,200 PIA flights between Aug-Nov 2011 inflicted Rs410 million loss to the airline.
• PIA’s downhill trend is aided by its powerful unions which force key deals to fall through, shut down airports.
• Over the past three years 2,171 people have been recruited in PIA, which has suffered losses worth Rs100 billion in the same time period.
• PIA recruited 237 people in 2011, 1,179 in 2010, while 684 appointments were made in 2009 and 56 in 2008.
• Thousands of PIA employees sacked by Nawaz Sharif’s government were reinstated by the PPP in 2008.
• The number of people hired by the PPP government is the highest in the history of the national flag carrier.
• The total number of airlines authorised to operate on commercial basis is six, including PIA, Air Blue, Shaheen Air, Indus Air, Bhoja Air and Pearl Air.
• This local competition enhances losses of the national flag carrier.
• In 2011, Iran shut its airspace to Pakistani aircraft due to a six-month $600,000 backlog in transit payments.
• PIA’s aging fleets of aircraft have faced increasing technical issues, forcing many planes to be grounded in 2011.
• On September 28 2011, 10 PIA aircraft, out of a fleet of 39, were grounded allegedly due to technical faults.
• On September 27 2011, flight PK-369 made an emergency landing at Multan Airport due to a malfunctioning generator.
• 24 hours later, UAE-bound flight PK-255 had to land in Karachi due to the same issue.
• On August 6, 2011, PK-745 had to make an emergency landing in Karachi after its landing gear failed to retract.
• On September 2 2011, PK-501 carrying 21 passengers and PK-508 with 32 passengers had to make ‘technical landings’ after engine failures.
• On December 12 2011, 11-19 of PIA’s 39 aircraft were believed to have been grounded for technical reasons.
• A potential reason for technical deficiencies in aircraft is the plummeting standards of engineering in the airline.
• Seven out of 26 local airports were closed down due to suspension of PIA flights on account of insufficient traffic load.
• Despite all this, PIA fights on the domestic sector fly with full loads due to lack of viable alternatives.
• The national carrier continues to cost Pakistan billions of rupees.