US, EU impose ban on PIA cargo service

The European Union and the United States have imposed a ban on the PIA cargo service over improper security arrangements.

According to a private TV channel, the European Union (EU) and the United States authorities have written a letter to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to stop the airlines’ cargo service in EU and the US due to lacking security.

The national airlines has suspended its cargo service to Europe and the US after the imposition of ban. The PIA being subjected to discrimination by the United States and Europe in comparison to other airlines, Mashhood Tajwar, a spokesman of the airlines said. The airlines was maintaining security according to the international standards, he claimed.

The spokesman said the airlines was in talks with the EU and US authorities and the matter would be resolved soon.

PIA flying with three ‘outdated’ jumbo jets

The national flag carrier has not been able to ground three ‘outdated’ jumbo jets despite receiving recommendations by its engineering department as it is faces an acute shortage of aircraft, said PIA Acting Chairman Muhammad Ali Gardezi.

Briefing a parliamentary panel regarding the lease termination of outdated aircraft the other day, Gardezi said out of three jumbo jets, two are 25 years old while the third was partially damaged during the terrorist attack on the Karachi airport. He said the damaged aircraft was repaired and now it was airworthy.

Responding to the concerns of parliamentarians, Gardezi said the PIA would ultimately sell all these three aircraft and was interested in acquiring five ATRs for indigenous routes. Ideally, the PIA should have a minimum fleet of 34 aircraft, but currently there were only 19 airworthy planes.

“The lease of old jumbos should be terminated and there is also a need to renovate PIA’s engineering department,” said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Jaffar Iqbal. He said over-staffing and unionism had ruined the performance of the national carrier.

Talking about the ongoing plan to revamp the national carrier, Gardezi said the airline’s management planned to enhance its operational fleet to 35-36 aircraft by next year.

Talking to reporters at the Islamabad airport, the PIA chief said the airline would add one more plane in the first week of next month on a short-term wet lease – a term used for a leasing arrangement whereby one airline provides a lessee not only the aircraft but complete crew, maintenance, and insurance.

The PIA management expects to have seven to 10 more aircrafts inducted in its fleet by December this year. “Our aim is the revival of the PIA as desired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and under the guidance and supervision of Shujaat Azeem, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation, the airline was moving in right direction,” said Gardezi.

He said with the induction of fuel-efficient aircrafts, the airline would be in a better position to offer services to its passengers, while at the same time it would benefit PIA in terms of fuel savings which was a major cost factor for the airline. According to him, the main reason for PIA’s losses was cost of fuel as it was using fuel guzzlers on short routes. The PIA’s losses were estimated at Rs 100 million per day, he added.