Officials of the Society of Aircraft Engineers Pakistan (SAEP) have strongly criticized the management of the national flag carrier, accusing it of gross technical negligence and poor decision-making that have left much of Pakistan International Airlines\u2019 (PIA) fleet grounded.<\/p>\n
According to media reports, SAEP General Secretary Owais Jadoon said that serious lapses in aircraft maintenance and a series of non-technical administrative decisions have turned PIA\u2019s fleet into \u201ca scrapyard.\u201d He said that the airline\u2019s operational fleet has dropped from 34 aircraft to just 12.<\/p>\n
Jadoon stressed that engineers were not to blame for the crisis, saying the PIA management bears full responsibility for the collapse of the airline\u2019s fleet. \u201cWe will never compromise on passenger safety,\u201d he said, adding that the airline\u2019s Canada operations were suspended because landing gears were not replaced in time. Although management was given three months to procure new gears, he said, the parts were never ordered.<\/p>\n
He revealed that landing gears were eventually brought from Germany on a charter aircraft, but the shipment arrived without the required tools, leaving the aircraft grounded in the hangar. Jadoon warned that a Boeing 777 is now at risk of becoming inoperable because of incorrect and non-standard maintenance procedures.<\/p>\n
Blaming the management\u2019s incompetence for pushing the airline toward collapse, Jadoon said engineers are working under extreme pressure and are often coerced to clear aircraft for flights despite serious technical faults. He claimed that on October 7, an engineer was assaulted for reporting a fault in a Toronto-bound aircraft.<\/p>\n
SAEP President Abdullah Khan also criticized the management, saying that engineers who adhere to safety protocols are being punished through negative performance reports. \u201cEngines and landing gears have kept aircraft parked in hangars. Spare parts are scarce, and even minor component replacements are becoming impossible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Khan further alleged that engineers are being pressured to remove parts from one aircraft to use on another. \u201cIn one case, after an engineer refused to sign off on a faulty component, an unrelated officer signed the clearance himself,\u201d he claimed. \u201cThat aircraft is still flying without proper clearance, yet no one is held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He clarified that the engineers are not opposed to PIA\u2019s privatization but want a permanent and responsible owner to restore the airline\u2019s deteriorating condition. Khan added that engineers will continue to suspend their \u201cCertificates of Authorization\u201d until a safe, professional, and pressure-free working environment is ensured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Officials of the Society of Aircraft Engineers Pakistan (SAEP) have strongly criticized the management of the national flag carrier, accusing it of gross technical negligence and poor decision-making that have left much of Pakistan International Airlines\u2019 (PIA) fleet grounded. According to media reports, SAEP General Secretary Owais Jadoon said that serious lapses in aircraft maintenance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65969,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,16],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[95],"class_list":{"0":"post-67183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-pakistan"},"yoast_head":"\n