Whither PIA?IT IS disturbing to watch the decline of what was once considered a world class airline. It is made worse by an impending ban by the EU on a majority of PIA’s fleet from March 8 because the airline has not met international safety standards. How could an airline be so callous as not to comply with safety standards, thereby putting passengers’ lives at risk? The ban is not a bolt from the blue as the EU has been threatening the action for some time, but it seems that nothing was done — at least that is how it appears as PIA has been oddly silent on the issue. It first said that it had not received any written word on the ban and then that the EU restrictions placed on it were “discriminatory”. If that is its defence, it is appalling, especially since it had ample time to rectify the faults and deficiencies. It did nothing to put its own house in order. Britain’s decision to implement the ban from next Friday speaks volumes about PIA’s negligent attitude. This is a cause for serious concern given that its monthly losses are said to be one billion rupees a month. The airline is heavily overstaffed and those that matter, like engineers, ground staff, pilots and crew, complain of being overworked and underpaid. As for its administrative aspect, here too PIA’s performance has been consistently poor, with passenger complaints of flight cancellations, delays and inconveniences mounting by the day.
PIA management seems dismissive of these obvious problems. This ostrich-like approach will get it nowhere. Neither will the government’s hands-off approach, for the losses resulting from the EU ban will be huge. The government must step in and ensure that PIA puts its house in order — or risk losing customers who now have options other than of flying PIA.