The billions of rupees of funding or credits provided to PIA on sovereign guarantees by federal government will go down the drain if corrupt mediocrity that dominates its executive corridors is not purged. It has to be restored to status of service oriented industry, instead of an organization burdened to provide employment to unqualified children of ruling elite, airline employees or the khaki bureaucracy, while its GSAs, routes, fleet induction plans traded as political bribes by every successive government for decades.
PIA, inspite of an assured clientele of ethnic Pakistanis, has incurred massive losses of over Rs100 billion in past four years. The unfortunate reality is that PIA’s vast potential for revenue generation, high salaried employment benefits and growth factor, became its biggest liability, for these very benefits enticed corrupt civil and military governments to stuff this airline with corrupt mediocrity and pilfer its abundant revenues. It is an airline where choice of aircrafts bought, or fleet requirements are not dictated by commercial and financial factors, but massive kickbacks which such deals offer. This is an airline, whose management’s priority is that it does not have millions to buy spares, but can seek billions to buy new aircrafts, pay millions of dollars to hire DMDs, consultants etc.
Its sole surviving assets, namely human resources and routes, have now been compromised by surplus recruitments in violation of merit and loot sale of routes in violation of all bilateral agreement norms. While airlines all over the world have raised their minimal induction requirement for pilots, engineers, sales executives, cabin crew or IT professionals, PIA has either maintained them at the level which existed in 60s or 70s, or even given waivers to suit individuals. Airlines all over the world hire 14 to 16 pilots per aircraft, while PIA has over 26 for its fleet of 40 aircraft, with more than 200 surplus fresh recruits waiting for years to be operational, inspite of the fact that only 30 aircrafts are serviceable.
No wonder PIA is sinking !
With matriculates, some of them holding fake degrees, and criminal record, nominated as MD or Director Admin, what else can you expect. The 6 pilots with fake degrees were not sacked, but honourable resigned with full benefits. Only one was sacked.
Pilots are meant to fly planes not run an airline – what credentials does the current MD have? They only talk and are the very cause of PIA's weak health. When it comes to personal benefits, they talk of what happens in the West and when it comes to ethics, they are not even close to matching the worst in the world.
Where there is will there is way. PIA has been running in red for quite some time. Once it was pride of Asia, it has fallen in bad times. This is allour fault. We have grossly mismanaged the corporation. Every recruitmant should be made on the pure merit. We can not slack in this policy oh promoting merit. It hoids the key to success.
We must ut the dead wood from the ranks and injected new bood in its veins. It is not an easy task, but we have to start from somewhere.
Thigs will become better jf we hold fast and work onour weaknesses. The flag ship air line will soar again.
Sincerely
JAVAID BASHIR
Attorney at law
the only way is to privatise PIA like any where else (BA/ Thai/Etihad and many others). It is the vested interest of the bureaucrats (both) and those who want to make a quick buck. this is the root cause. remember how Waqar Azim got heavy commission by selling PIA aircrafts and gave money for the famous Zia u; Haq vote of confidence from the public.
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