Business

PIA continues to 'go slow' on third day of Eid

PIA pilots' 'Go-Slow' policy continued on the third day of Eid as several flights were delayed or cancelled.

Express September 13, 2010

PIA pilots' 'Go-Slow' policy continued on the third day of Eid as several international and domestic flights were either delayed or cancelled.

The delay started a few days before Eid on September 6.

Prior to the havoc, PIA was flying Umrah pilgrims back to Pakistan according to the set schedule.

However, the flights due to arrive in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar have not yet been cancelled, even though they are over 36 hours late.

Defending the crisis, the PIA spokesman claimed that it is the excessive number of passengers that is causing the disruption, not a shortage of planes.

He promised that all flights would be rescheduled in the next 48 hours.

Umrah pilgrims flights could not reach Lahore on Sunday as per their schedule, while a flight coming from New Delhi was cancelled. Flight PK-739 could also not take off for Jeddah this morning.

PIA officials claimed the flights were delayed due to bad weather conditions and technical problems. However, it is worth mentioning here that pilots are following a 'Go-Slow' Policy because the working agreement signed between the pilots and the managing director is not being implemented.

COMMENTS (16)

Mohammed Abbasi | 14 years ago | Reply Privatise PIA cull the number of employees across the board, withdraw government funding and open up the Pakistan airline industry. PIA used to be one of the best airlines in the world and now has become an embarrassment for the nation.

Danish | 14 years ago | Reply I had the opportunity to travel on PIA for Urmah. I have some previous travel experience, but this was the worst one can imagine. Apart from the flight being late, then being diverted from Islamabad to Karachi, the attitude of senior ground staff in Jeddah Airport was worst then a local bus conductor. They looked tired, misbehaved, had no regard of passengers. Un-organized and lacked the will and ability to perform their duties. I am not sure why they were hired in the first place, but for whatever reason they got the job, they should at least pretend they want to do their job. Any other airline would have gone bankrupt by now, but God Bless Pakistan, we keep pumping money into this miserable enterprise, and give them the best routes across Pakistan and abroad. Unless the Government allows other players besides PIA and Saudi Airlines to run Umrah and Haj flights, or privatize PIA, things are never going to improve. P.S. I would like to applaud the crew and staff of Airplane, who did their best to comfort the passengers.

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T Ali | 14 years ago | Reply Instead of activating such draconian laws like the Essential Services Act, the Federal Government should have investigated as to what has prompted the rise in industrial disputes involving pilots or aircraft engineers in PIA. The other important factor that needs proper enquiry is what propmted PIA management to file a case in Sind High Court on the very date that it had signed an agreement with PALPA in Islamabad, having resolved all outstanding issues. As for these present delays in Umra flights from 6th Sept onwards, these are purely due mismanagement and nothing else. PIA booked these passengers knowing fully well the limitations of inadequate departure lounge space for return flights, yet it booked these passengers. What was marketing doing when it plaanned these flights in the peak Umra return period. A number of technical delays resulted in late arrival of the aircraft at Jeddah, which led to further delays in departure of flights from Jeddah bringing the Umra passengers back to Pakistan. Poor co-ordination led to confusion and passengers whose flights were delayed by several hours had already been checked in. This led to more congestion. By the 16 of Sept the situation would improve, not because of PIA's efficiency, but because other airlines traffic would reduce, thereby providing extra space and departure lounges for returning Umra passengers. This confusion and utter chaos due poor management and planning has become routine occurence for last few years and every year it has further deteriorated. Lack of accountability has led to more incompetence. This is what happened in the last Haj operation. It would be unfair of the management to give a spin on this and blame pilots. They would serve themselves if they accept their deficiency and make an honest attempt to reassess their wrong appointments, error in policy decisions etc, instead of making lame excuses. .

Ali | 14 years ago | Reply There is not cure for this except Privitisations... currently PIA falls under MoD and is just sucking poor tax payers money which could be used for flood victims... this money sucking useless corporation has to be off loaded from govt. and whne they have to fend for themselves and make a profit, khud ba khud sab durust ho jayengey!!!

M. Salik | 14 years ago | Reply Amir: it is a boeing 747 jumbo, even a child could tell that since the windows are below the cockpit.

Hamza | 14 years ago | Reply I was on PIA flight 308 that travelled from Khi to Isb on 9th Sep (thursday), two days before eid. The flight was delayed by almost half an hour due to some 'technical reasons'.

parvez | 14 years ago | Reply If one has the option - do not use PIA. No government will put things right because everyone in the government loves a free ride. Example : In this months edition of a premier English monthly magazine the editor says that the country's first lady went shopping in London and sent back 40 cartons of goodies via PIA free of cost. Let us also not forget PIA and CAA is the sponge that absorbs all those ex Air Force persons who keep coming. You have to have the will to do what is right for the country and no leader civilian or in uniform has shown this quality. They are all mendacious and self-serving.

Yousaf | 14 years ago | Reply I have stopped travelling via PIA.... pay little extra and make sure BEST services, timely & safe flights. Go to hell PIA & Pilots.

T Ali | 14 years ago | Reply These delays are a consequence of adhocism, where an organization is being run by political cronies, who in turn have made a royal mess of everytning. This is what happens when merit is no longer a criterion for appointments, promotions or foreign postings and procurement of spare parts, or contracts for outsourcing maintenance to foreign airlines, or their subsidiary maintenance repair overhaul companies, are based on kickbacks instead of their competence. PIA has tons of experience in handling Umra and Haj flights. Passengers are suffering because PIA has badly planned a large number of return flights in a limited time space, with not adequate buffer margins for these unfortunate umra passengers return back to Pakistan. This has become a routine mismanagement for the last few years. This management has disbanded PIA's Flight Despatch department, whose personnel were posted at various busy international hubs, so that they could co-ordinate for slots, delays , weather changes etc, with local Civil Aviation Air Traffic Control agencies. In their absence one major delay ends up in a chain reaction and this is what has been happening at Jeddah. These delays on Umra flights have got absolutely nothing to do with pilot go-slows, it is just plain mismanagement and this management's spin doctors are trying to shift the blame on others.This is what happens when incompetence, rampant corruption and cronyism dominates and is tolerated by the Federal Government. I hope the Federal Government realizes how much backlash it is getting for the fault of a management that has failed to deliver. Those who planned these flights and those who approved this plan, should be hanged. Unfortunately this will not happen. It is unfortunate that the MD, a man from within the airline, has failed, because he has misused his position to settle old scores, apart from the financial improprieties, that have become a norm in the airline. The Minister for Defense should have a dispassionate assessment of these failures and so should others who are responsible for taking such decisions. Political appointments are a normal event in a democratic system, but than such appointments should be based on some sort of merit.Failure by the CEO to achieve goals, requires accountabilty and replacement, not insistence to back the wrong horse, and wait for a major collossal mishap to occur. PIA has the capacity and the required passenger clientele to surmount its present crisis, provided there is a competent management with impeccable integrity, which respects merit and not relies on their whims..

Think therefore | 14 years ago | Reply PIA pilots should stage a "french revolution" style takeover of the airline....raise fairs by 300% and induct swedish and east european stewarding crews... if we have monkeys running the our government on the ground why shouldnt we have jerks flying us about too.... God I love this "rotten" banana republic....

Abrar Pakistani | 14 years ago | Reply These delays are because of defective maintenance, poor planning and no co-ordination between Flight Operations and Jeddah Airport Flight Control. It is common knowledge that immediately after 28 of Ramzan, there is an increase in number of flights carrying Umra passengers back to their countries. This routine has been going on for ages. It seems that even after 45 years of experience by PIA of operating Umra and Haj flights, this management has not learnt any lessons. This is what happens when wrong choices are made in appointments to senior positions in the airline. It is the wrong flight slots that PIA planned, which has led to these long delays of 15 to 30 hours. Blaming this on pilots Go Slow is misleading. It is gross mismanagement and appointment of corrupt and incompetent cronies that has created this mess. These poor Umra passengers have been charged excessive fares and yet the airline mistreats them. Wrong contracts for Maint Repair and Overhaul of PIA aircrafts by this management has seen a sharp rise in technical delays, incidents and near miss accidents. These are signs of a major accident that is bound to happen if wrongs that are being committed are not rectified and competent qualified men with integrity are not appointed in PIA. The CAA has also failed because both these organizations are run by the same ministry and report to the same individual. Airlines running in losses and with no control on corruption and pilferages, end up compromising on maintenance. In such an environment both new and old aircrafts end up with massive technical delays, which is what is happening to PIA fleet of B777, A310, Boeing 747, Boeing 737 and ATR. The cause of delays is not the pilots but mismanagement. We all know the regimes capacity to patronize cronies at the expense of tax payer and the state. Are we all waiting for an accident to happen. I am sorry the government has failed to discharge its obligation to provide safe, reliable and affordable transportation to the public. The collapse of our railways is because of corruption by the Musharraf government and this regime. The same is happening now to PIA, courtesy Musharraf and this government.

khizer | 14 years ago | Reply What the helll? what has this to do with passengers?

Sultan Ahmed. | 14 years ago | Reply the authority concerned should take notice and fill the vacuum created by the violation of agreement delay ,in this connection is not favorable for the government and people of Pakistan as well.

Syed A. Mateen | 14 years ago | Reply The employment conditions in Pakistan are not up to international standard. Whether it is an employment of Federal Government, Provincial Governments, State owned Corporations or in the private sector, I have not found any difference between an employee and a donkey. The donkey-style jobs will continue until the Federal Government, Provincial Government and the Private Sector do not change its policies according to the international labour standards. If PIA pilots have still adopted the “go-slow” policy that what was the use of imposing law of essential services on PIA pilots? Similarly, PTCL employees are also on strike for the last one month and uncounted landline telephone connections have gone out of order. Despite making complaints to the highest quarters, these telephone lines could not be fixed? Do the government will also impose the “essential services” law on PTCL employees who are asking raise in pay by 50% which the government has increased for other Federal and Provincial Government servants. What is the status of PTCL in Pakistan? Does it fall under the Government or it is a purely private entity, when the shares of Government are more than private investment of UAE telecommunication company Etisalat?

Salah ud din | 14 years ago | Reply How is responsible for pessanger loss. Managing Director or Pilots. Take same REGAN Style action for responsible persons , for the better solution.

Amir | 14 years ago | Reply Express needs to hire a photo editor. I would like to know which plane is in the picture. Though it looks like an Airbus, but the picture has been "squeezed" to look like something out of Salvadore Dali's imagination. Please fix the above picture. Instead of cropping, it has been shrunked!

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