European union banned PIA(Pakistan Airlines)

[melb4aust]

European union banned PIA's 747 passengr planes for both landing in europe and travelling into their airspace. According to sources European union has number of concerns about the safety of 747 passenger jets.

Read the news above: thanks alot mushhy for taking the country to the right path.:army:

 

[Bull]

European union banned PIA's 747 passengr planes for both landing in europe and travelling into their airspace. According to sources European union has number of concerns about the safety of 747 passenger jets.

Read the news above: thanks alot mushhy for taking the country to the right path.:army:

Can u tell me what the concerns are,cant read urdu!!!

 

[melb4aust]

Can u tell me what the concerns are,cant read urdu!!!

well sorry about that, could'nt find the link in english, they have'nt given the details in it, just gave few clues regarding to the interior of the aircrafts or something.

 

[Neo]

Here's the story in English Bull.
All has to do with ageing types, many airlines are affected by this measure.

PIA will now urgently have to replace her 5 B474-300 and 9 A310-213 and another 4 B747-200F to survivethe crisis.

PIA in trouble: Houston operation also suspended
IQBAL MIRZA
KARACHI (November 02 2006): Facts speak louder than fiction, and the undeniable facts show that the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, is in deep trouble right now, both operationally and financially.

A crisis-like situation prevails in the PIA head office following suspension of landing rights for PIA Boeing-747/300 and Airbus A-310 aircraft by European Union at European airports for not maintaining safety standards listed by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Pakistan's exports are also likely to be affected badly, as PIA would not now be able to operate its Boeing 747-200 Combi to USA.

In its latest bid, to overcome the ugly situation PIA is faced with, the airline has suspended, for indefinite period, its flights to Houston. The last flight left here on Friday, October 27, and the next was due on November 3, which stands cancelled.

PIA had started with two flights a week for Houston--Karachi-Manchester-Houston and Karachi-Lahore-Manchester-Houston--but subsequently the frequency was reduced to only one flight a week. The Boeing 777-ER thus released may be put on EU route.

Earlier, PIA had faced the ban imposed by FAA on direct flights to US as the US was not satisfied with security clearance measures at Pakistan's airports. This had resulted in a setback for PIA as the Boeing 777-LR version is a long haul aircraft and stopping at Manchester not only made the operation expensive, it also affected the performance of the aircraft. The aircraft is designed in a way that it has to remain in the air for a certain number of hours for good performance and profitable operation.

The present confusion may get more confounded when the Haj operations start from early next month and Saudi Arabia also adheres to EU policy with regard to EASA safety standards. Besides this, PIA may have to cross another hurdle in operating the aged leased L-1011 aircraft for Haj in case they are over 25 years of age as Saudi aviation regulations do not allow aircraft of over 25 years of age.

Financially, the airline is in bad shape, too. It had posted a net loss of over Rs 6 billion during the period January 2006 to June 2006, which surged to Rs 8.9 billion by the end of September. At this rate, the airline may end up with a loss of Rs 11 to 12 billion till the close of financial year ie December 31, 2006.

The PIA management in its 2006 budget had projected a profit of Rs 1.2 billion, which seems to be a far cry. The airline had earlier taken a loan of Rs 3 billion from Standard Chartered Bank to tide over its losses and improve its liquidity.

According to these sources, a meeting is to be held with government functionaries in Islamabad on November 2, where PIA management intends to ask for $100 million assistance to meet its obligations.

 

[Neo]

PIA reschedules operations to meet EU requirement

KARACHI: The rescheduling of Pakistan International Airlines’ UK operation has not affected the schedule on PIA’s Canada and European routes where the capacity and frequencies remain the same, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.

It said the recent rescheduling of PIA UK operation is due to the temporary redeployment of PIA 747 capacity to meet certain specific requirement, which has now become mandatory for EU operations.

Also, on USA route, there is no change in the existing schedule except one weekly flight to Houston that has been temporarily suspended during low season. On Heathrow UK route as against 10 flights the airline will be offering nine flights from Pakistan, which are sufficient to cater to the market needs during November and up to mid-December 2006.

Similarly, capacity to Manchester has been augmented through re-routing of PK-Toronto flights via Manchester, minimizing the impact of capacity reduction on Pakistan-Manchester route.

In accordance with PIA’s plan, USA, Canada, UK and Europe routes shall be operated with B-777 aircraft. As per existing schedule, USA/Canada flights are already operated with B-777 aircraft. The operations to UK and Europe will be converted to B-777 by next year with the induction of additional B-777 aircraft in the fleet. Thus ultimately all PIA operations to USA, Canada, UK and Europe shall be undertaken by B-777 fleet by early 2007.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=30253

 

[Bull]

thanks Neo.

 

[Neo]

Saturday, November 04, 2006

PIA starts refurbishment of 747 aircraft

KARACHI: Pakistan Intern-ational Airline (PIA) has started complete refurbishment of its 747 aircraft and the first aircraft, which was inducted in September 2006, has now been completed.

According to a press statement issued here Friday by the National Flag carrier, during the refurbishment, the entire cabin has been renovated with new seat covers and carpet and the exterior appearance of aircraft has also been reworked with new tail and livery. This aircraft was inspected by the Chairman and CEO PIA, Tariq Kirmani along with a team of senior management.

The Chairman appreciated the efforts of the engineers and technicians for their hard work and devotion. This aircraft will now be ready for operation to all destinations including European Union (EU) within next week. This renovation and improved appearance will help PIA overcome the objections by certain European countries during the SAFA inspection.

PIA had to re-deploy B-777 and A-310 to European routes for providing ground time to 747 for refurbishment, and to meet the necessary capacity requirements. After the refurbishment PIA plans to re-deploy Boeing 747 on European routes again in order to maintain the capacity and frequency.

PIA the national flag carrier is the proud holder of IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit), EASA (European Air Safety Audit), and JAR 145 certification. These certifications are for maintaining the standard airworthiness of aircraft. PIA is determined to maintain highest standards.

 

[Neo]

European Union restrictions worry PIA

National carrier beset by safety issues

By Saad Hasan

KARACHI: The recent restriction imposed by European Union (EU) on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operated Boeing 747s should serve as a wakeup call for the national flag carrier, which also has had its new B 777s grounded on technical faults a number of times.

PIA has stopped flying its B 747 fleet to Europe from November 1, 2006 after European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) expressed dissatisfaction over the condition of the aircraft.

While PIA officials have downplayed the EU reservations claiming that they pertain to general appearance of aircraft and minor defects, there are recent instances of aircraft running into technical snags and the financial losses that are suffered as a consequence speak volumes about the problem.

One of the biggest areas of worry seems to be the B 777 aircraft, which have been suffering problems of late. It is ironic that the aircraft that was supposed to be reviving the financial fortunes of PIA, now seem to be dragging the airline down instead.

One of the five newly inducted flagship B 777 aircrafts was grounded at Manchester Airport on October 11 after its pressure panel was blown up while landing.

This flight, PK-721, was grounded awaiting the panel, without which structural integrity of the aircraft could not be assured by the ground staff. Such a defect occurring on a new aircraft reflects poor maintenance, since panels cannot blow off unless rivets are not properly secured or they are not latched, aviation experts told The News.

In a similar incident, a B 777 was delayed at Manchester on August 30 because of a fuel leak from one its engines. While passengers were delayed for eight hours, the aircraft was stranded for 28 hours because of delay in parts procurement, sources told this scribe.

PIA had spent more than $576 million to purchase three B 777-200ER and two B 777-200LR aircrafts on equal instalments of $14.8 million.

Yet again on September 29, a damaged nose radome of a B 777 (PK-703) left the aircraft unserviceable for almost eight days. This is because the airline’s parts procurement division failed in getting the timely replacement, say PIA insiders.

When contacted, PIA spokesman Imran Ghaznavi contradicted this by saying that the actual nose radome incident occurred on October 3 and not September 29 and the aircraft was repaired within hours.

He said that aircraft engineers on duty during the post flight of PK 319 observed a bird-hit dent on the nose radome of B-777-LR and this problem was rectified.

Another area of concern has been the parts procurement procedure adopted by the airline, which has become a major headache and expenditure for the carrier.

Some aviation experts recalled that in 2005, PIA started procuring parts through Aeroxchange- an online market place, which has fewer than 36 vendors against Boeing’s 180 all over the world.

The PIA spokesman says the Aeroxchange system has brought transparency and efficiency in PIA’s technical purchase activities and the buyer can use Internet to gain access to the global electronic exchange anytime anywhere.

At the same time, he also said that PIA is purchasing majority of the parts directly from Boeing, which numbered 4,000 in 2006. But he did not explain then exactly why the need for online exchange arose if the airline procured ‘majority of the parts’ from the American aerospace giant.

In a report earlier this year, the Boeing Company cited ambiguities in the parts procurement system saying when aircraft equipment is required on emergency basis, PIA is compelled to buy it on inflated rates.

In its recent report it has advised the national flag carrier to immediately shift to its vendors from online exchange facilitators.

 

[Neo]

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Pak-Vietnam trade still not up to potential

KARACHI: Trade between Vietnam and Pakistan his increasing rapidly with an annual growth rate of 25 percent to 30 percent with the volume of bilateral trade increasing from $10 million in 1999 to $70 million in 2005.

However, even this trade is much below the real potential and did not reflect the warmth in the diplomatic and trade relations.

This was stated by Do Nhu Dinh, head of high-powered visiting Vietnam delegation during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce and International (KCCI) here on Tuesday.

He said that the policy of openness and industrialisation had opened up new opportunities for Vietnam to make full use of its comparative advantages.

Due to pursuance of these policies, the total export volume of Vietnam surged from $26 billion in 2004 to $32.2 billion in 2006.

He said that the very fact that both Pakistan and Vietnam were the tow fastest growing economies of Asia, underscores great potential for imports from each other.

Abdullah Zaki, acting President KCCI highlighted the great potential for bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Vietnamese delegation expressed their keen interest in participation in the My Karachi 2007 exhibition and thereafter an agreement between KCCI and Vietnam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition Company on Vietnam’s participation in My Karachi 2007 was signed.

 

[Neo]

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Mobilink’s total investment to touch $2.5b

ISLAMABAD: The cellular phone company Mobilink on Tuesday announced the company has invested around $2 billion to date and would be investing $500 million this year, making it one of the largest private Foreign Direct Investor (FDI) in Pakistan.

The company is also one of the largest contributors of taxes, duties and royalties to the national exchequer, said Naguib Sawiris, Chairman Orascom Telecom and Mobilink while announcing the record achievement of two million subscribers milestone by the company at a press conference.

He said achieving the 20 million customers’ milestone and an addition of over 10 million subscribers in a record 300 days have been recognized internationally.

The company has successfully transformed an initially slow-paced industry, into a booming industry through aggressive investment and expansion of coverage present in more than 1200 cities towns and villages of Pakistan.

Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink under whose leadership, the company has achieved this significant milestone said his company has lived up to its promise of reshaping communication in Pakistan.

“We have touched the lives of people from all walks of life and are proud to have contributed profusely in the development of the social sector in Pakistan.

We have firmly believed in the delivery of our commitments and steadfastly embarked upon some of the most advanced services for our 20-million family members,” he added.

 

[EagleEyes]

Pakistan Air Lines sucks compare to the other international air lines. Mostly people use it to support, but management doesnt' do enough to keep up with the international standards.

 

[Neo]

Once it was the pride of the nation but its another government owned business severly hit by nepotism and incomepetant management.
Most of the management has been provided my retired PAF marshals...

 

[EagleEyes]

Thats because no one is rich enough to start an air line up to the International standards in Pakistan unless it is supported by the government. This lacks compitition. Few started out i believe for the range of Dubai and Qatar but didn't get out of much.

It would be nice for the government to support another air line, and the best will get more funds and newer aircrafts. This would prolly make a difference.

 

[Neo]

Even better idea is to sell a stake to a leading foreign carrier like Emirates and sourse out the management for ten years.
Air Lanks did it and see how they improved...

Btw, Air Blue seems to be doing well. Its owned by four California based Pakistani businessmen.

 

[Keysersoze]

Pakistan Air Lines sucks compare to the other international air lines. Mostly people use it to support, but management doesnt' do enough to keep up with the international standards.

Got to agree with the sucks part. I went nuts in Islamabad airport once when they screwed up my confirmed flight. After the amount of hassle and the treatment of my family members. I will never fly PIA again.

If you can't get the basics right...............