The unfortunate reality is that PIA’s incompetence, mediocrity, corruption infected management, overstaffing, and decline in professionalism has more to do with disruption of flights than occurrence of fog at Lahore, a regular annual event, that should have been catered for had competence, professional flight dispatch planning and merit allowed to prevail. Ever since our ruling elite, both elected and paid, started travelling on private jets, safety of revenue paying passengers or their convenience is no longer of any concern to them.
It was not Lahore fog which can be blamed for abusive mismanagement and abject disregard when Umrah flights from Karachi and Islamabad are delayed. On 30 April, passengers for PK203 Lahore to Dubai were informed that flight was delayed and would depart at 13:15, instead of 10:05 AM, only to reach airport to be informed that it will depart now at 17:00 hrs. This was much before Lahore primary runway was blocked by Shaheen Airline with secondary runway still available, which was blocked much later by PK 758, a sad reflection upon regulatory performance of CAA. Even in the worst foggy conditions at Lahore, there is a window of more than 8 hours, when flights can land and take off. It baffles imagination that billions are available for the new airport at Islamabad and the rising cost of CAA administration, but not for installation of ILS III at Lahore which costs only a fraction.
Airlines of repute all over the world manage to run schedules smoothly in far worse weather conditions than Lahore fog, keeping updated with reliable weather forecasts and planning with their civil aviation regulatory body monitoring and aiding them, unlike the CAA in Pakistan. Unless PIA and CAA are cleansed of rot within their managements, hostage to their conflicts of interest, devoid of professional discipline with no deterrence for financial and professional indiscipline, the situation will continue to worsen even if the whole PIA fleet is replaced.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore