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Pakistan grounds two airlines for not paying dues
 
 
 
 
 2006-05-22 23:50   
 
  
 
 
 
 
  KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan has grounded two private airlines until they pay millions of rupees owed in landing rights and other operational dues, an official of the country's aviation watchdog said on Monday.
Karachi-based Aero Asia and Shaheen Airlines, a concern of the Pakistan Air Force's Shaheen Foundation, owe 444 million rupees (.4 million) between them, according to Tahir Ahsan Malik, director of Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), told Reuters.
"They will not be allowed to resume their operations until they clear their dues," Malik said.
Aero Asia's chief operating officer, Humza Tabani, said the CAA's decision came as a surprise for the airline.
"We are in touch with the CAA and hopefully will resume our operations very soon," he said.
Officials of Shaheen Airlines were not immediately available for comments.
Aero Asia has four aircraft, two boeing 737-200 and two MD-82s, while Shaheen has only one aircraft in their fleets.
Pakistan opened its skies to the private sector in early 1991 but two other private airlines went out of business in 1994 when they failed to clear CAA charges.
The suspensions leave only one private carrier, Airblue, operating alongside state-run Pakistan International Airlines, which dominates both the country's passenger and cargo markets.
Pakistan's air traffic market is tiny, but aviation experts believe it could grow due to rapid economic growth.
  
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Abacus enables PIA E-Ticketing in Pakistan 
 
Tuesday, 9 May 2006
 

Abacus International is set to bring the convenience of electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) to travellers and agents in the Pakistan. Beginning today, authorised Abacus-connected travel agencies in Pakistan will be able to issue e-tickets for their customers on board Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

“The roll-out of e-ticketing is an important step in the evolution and development of tourism in the region and will assist us to make significant headway into the Pakistan travel market. We’re proud to be the exclusive agent for PIA and with the added commitment of our travel partners, Pakistan’s tourism industry is set to continue to grow,” said Mr Low. “As e-ticketing continues to gain in popularity in Asia, airlines are increasingly seeing the direct benefits that this tool can offer them in terms of reaching out to the modern traveller, whilst travellers are showing preference for the convenience of paperless travel.”

E-ticketing is a real-time paperless method for airlines and travel agents to issue tickets. Individual ticket information is stored within the airline’s reservation system and can be retrieved electronically, reducing the amount of paper ticket inventory and hassle in re-issuance of misplaced printed tickets.

PIA Senior Vice President, Marketing, Mr. Kamran Hasan said, “Over the past two years, we have been working closely with Abacus to implement e-ticketing, with this partnership representing another milestone for PIA. Switching to the e-ticketing system will strengthen PIA’s presence locally and internationally and we look forward to the positive feedback from agents and travellers alike.”

PIA will save as much as 927 Pakistani Rupees per ticket by adopting e-ticketing over the conventional way of printed and hand-written ticket-issuance. In addition, e-ticketing offers travellers with the ease of convenience and security while offering travel agents a more effective management of their customers’ schedules at the same time.

Travel agents have also welcomed PIA’s move to e-ticketing. “This is a major step forward in our vision of a paperless future,” said Quality International’s General Manager, Mr. Zaki Niazi.

Clifton Travels, General Manager, Mr. Mohammad Shakeel Khan also welcomed the announcement. “Already, customers in Pakistan are demonstrating a desire for the convenience of e-tickets. This new agreement by Abacus and PIA will enable travel agents to better serve their customers and generate huge cost savings for the industry as a whole,” he said.

Abacus Pakistan has already begun working closely with PIA to familiarise all Abacus travel agents in Pakistan with the electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) system.

E-tickets continue to gain in popularity throughout Asia Pacific, with almost one in every three tickets issued on the Abacus system in January-February being paperless. This is in line with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) goal of converting all member airlines to paperless ticketing by end 2007.

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Thursday, June 01, 2006  
 
PIA to deliver domestic tickets at home from 15th --------------

 

LAHORE: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) sources told Daily Times that PIA would start to deliver tickets to passengers at their houses in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

PIA Chairman Tariq Kirimani announced that the facility would be started on June 15, sources said, adding that PIA would only deliver domestic but not international tickets after receiving the required information about the person on a toll free number 111-786-786. “We have our own courier service which will deliver the tickets and we will try to facilitate people quickly”. Asked why this facility was not initiated for international travelers, they said it was complicated to issue international tickets because of visa verifications.

Sources said that Kirmani wanted tickets delivered to customers within 20 minutes of receiving a call, but the time has been extended to 40 minutes for delivery in long distance areas. They said that a plan to set up a ‘Self Service Check-In’ was ready and would be formally announced soon. The project was similar to the ones in developed countries, which would allow passengers to obtain their boarding passes directly from the airport, they added.

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Tuesday, May 09, 2006  
 
Boeing modification work under way at PIA engg dept

KARACHI: Lap joint modification work on the first Boeing 737 aircraft is underway at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) engineering department.

According to a press release on Monday, due to indigenous efforts, PIA would save an amount in terms of labour cost per aircraft $100000, while approximate 15 days saving and a total saving per aircraft will come around $300000. After completion of this modification, PIA will be able to sell this expertise to other airlines of the world and earn valuable foreign exchange, it added.

Boeing during their continual in-service research for development discovered invisible cracks on the Lap-Joint areas of aircraft B-737. Boeing has necessitated modification to the areas identified critical prior to accumulation of 50,000 Flight cycles on all B-737 aircraft worldwide.

Boeing 737 aircraft were inducted in PIA fleet 1985 as a regional commuter. Due to short hop flights, frequent take off, and landings, the aircraft accumulates a high number of flight cycles. Currently PIA B737 aircraft are approaching 50,000 flight cycles. staff report

 

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006  
 
CAA reigns supreme in emergency management

 RAWALPINDI: Airport Emergency Exercise 2006 was conducted at the Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday to train Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) staff and test the reliability and functioning of their equipment.

The exercise was organised by the CAA at the Islamabad Airport, in which the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Airport Security Force (ASF), Pakistan International Airline Company (PIAC), Edhi Trust and staff from hospitals in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi participated.

During the exercise, CAA officials displayed their rescue skills as they rescued more than 100 passengers from a burning Jumbo 747 and exhibited their expertise in other mock exercises that involved emergency landing and tackling fire hazards.

The first phase of the exercise was extinguishing fire, where CAA and PAF fire squads responded to the situation within the standard response time. The rescue and evacuation process was the next phase of the exercise, where out of the 110 passengers onboard, four were shown dead, 21 were shown injured and 85 were shown safe. The first injured passenger was shifted from the aircraft to the ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital within four minutes. Over 100 passengers were rescued in a similar manner, after which two information cells providing details of the deceased and injured were set up at the flight inquiry desk and international arrival lounge at the airport.

Army staff, medical and engineering departments and civil authorities, along with the staff of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Emirates, British Airways, Aero Asia and Air Blue watched the exercise, which they termed as highly successful.

Airport Manager Ashfaq Hussain said that the basic purpose behind the exercise was to train, educate and develop coordination among the different forces involved in tackling emergencies. The exercise, he said, also aimed at ensuring that the CAA staff were fully prepared to tackle any emergency, adding that the CAA periodically tested rescue plans to tackle emergencies efficiently. He said that ensuring the safety of passengers and upgrading operational performance to international standards was the prime responsibility of the CAA, which, he said, was eventually responsible for disasters such as hijacking, bombing, fire or other mishaps during flights. He praised the PIA as a recognised airline, which was internationally acclaimed.

Senior Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mubarik Shah said the exercise was conducted once in every two years at each major airport under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Agencies

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PIA selects Sabre technology to increase global market share
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
 
 
 

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has contracted with Sabre Airline Solutions to use Sabre WiseVision Sales Essentials, a tool that helps  airlines extract decision-support information from global distribution systems (GDSs).

Sales Essentials will help PIA understand its true market position and competitors` strengths. The system will also provide the airline with valuable information about agency activity, helping strengthen its marketing initiatives to shift and capture new market share. Airlines using Sales Essentials have experienced an increase of up to 10 percent in booking share in specific markets.

PIA, a long-time customer of the Sabre Airline Solutions business, joins more than 30 airlines worldwide that use WiseVision data analysis products.

"Sales Essentials will help us drive our network expansion goals into new markets, provide more clarity around our agency distribution channel in existing and planned markets, and increase efficiencies in our sales and planning departments", said Alamzeb Afridi, general manager of marketing support systems for PIA.

"Sales Essentials provides advanced reporting and data analytical capability that enables airline users to identify and use the best revenue opportunities at agency or market level", said Mike Douglass, vice president of airline products and services for Sabre Airline Solutions. "PIA will be able to identify markets with expansion possibilities and increase revenue by focusing on agency activity and shifting competitive high-yield bookings in key markets."
 

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Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner honored by NAA
Thursday, May 04, 2006

 

 
 
The National Aeronautics Association has named the record-setting distance flight of the Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner as one of the most memorable aviation records of 2005. The 777-200LR record flight was among eight achievements in aviation, chosen from more than 100 records set in the United States last year, honored by the NAA at an awards ceremony Friday evening in Arlington, VA.
In November 2005, the 777-200LR (Longer Range) set a new world record for distance traveled nonstop by a commercial jetliner, flying 11,664 nautical miles (21,601 kilometers) eastbound from Hong Kong to London.

"The 777-200LR is revolutionizing the way people fly with its unmatched range, providing more opportunities for nonstop travel between more city pairs around the world," said Lars Andersen, vice president -- program manager, 777 Program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The airplane is more fuel efficient than the competition and can carry more people farther." On its record flight, the 777-200LR took off from Hong Kong the evening of Nov. 9 flying over the North Pacific Ocean, across North America, and then over the mid-North Atlantic Ocean. The airplane landed at London Heathrow Airport the afternoon of Nov. 10 after logging 22 hours and 42 minutes for the flight.

"We had a great team that devoted months of work to prepare for this flight and make it a tremendous success," said Capt. Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann, the project pilot leader for the 777-200LR record flight. "For my colleagues and me it was the flight of a career. We won't have another opportunity to do this again."

The first two 777-200LRs, including the airplane that set the world record, were delivered to launch customer Pakistan International Airlines, which currently operates the airplane on a route from Karachi to Toronto.

---- But of late, they seem to be cribbing a lot about its performance)

The 777-200LR is the fifth and newest model of the market-leading 777 family. As the world's longest-range commercial jetliner, it can connect virtually any two cities in the world nonstop. In service, the 777-200LR can carry 301 passengers up to 9,420 nautical miles (17,445 kilometers). Compared to competing aircraft, the 777-200LR burns 24 percent less fuel per passenger, travels 760 nautical miles farther and carries 21 more passengers.

To date, Boeing has sold 827 777s and has delivered 556 to 46 airlines and lease operators around the world.
 

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Wednesday, May 31, 2006  
 
‘PIA forced to start fuel hedging’

FAISALABAD: Pakistan Inter-national Airline (PIA) has been forced to start fuel hedging to avert ill impacts of sky rocketing oil prices in the international markets, said Tariq Kirmani, chief executive and chairman PIA.

Addressing the executive members of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Tuesday he said oil prices have soared from $ 35 per barrel to $70-75 per barrel during last one year and still it was unpredictable. He said few airlines were already resorting to oil hedging and thus managed to save them from deficit in the wake of current fuel crisis. “Now PIA has also started fuel hedging”, he said and added that only 20 percent fuel has been hedged this year, however, its percentage may increase in the coming years, he added. app

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Waiver of morgue fee sought for repatriating bodies of expats 

-------------------------------- Air India and Indian do it free. 

 

Al Ain: Expatriate communities are seeking exemption from the Dh1,000 morgue charges while repatriating dead bodies.

Community members say they have been facing difficulties while sending the bodies of low-income expatriates who had invalid health cards.

Hospitals charge Dh1,000 towards the cost of coffin, packing materials and chemicals used to prevent decomposition of bodies.

Community members say often the process of repatriating bodies of poor people is delayed due to lack of cash. They have to depend on charity or intervention from philanthropists to send the bodies home. Those who have valid health cards are exempt from the charges.

Besides, community members have to find money to pay the air fares which in most cases are huge as airlines charge special or cargo rates for dead bodies.

Naresh Kumar Suri, a former vice-president of Indian Social Centre in Al Ain, said mostly people depend on charity to meet the expenses for repatriation of the body of a friend or a co-worker. "Some companies or sponsors also extend their help on humanitarian grounds but legally they are not bound to do so.

"The authorities should make the employers legally responsible for arrangements for the repatriation of the bodies and to bear the expenses," Suri suggested.

Pakistani expatriates are lucky in that respect as their national carrier Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flies bodies of countrymen, along with an attendant, free of charge.

Younis Khan, a Pakistani expatriate in Al Ain, said the charges were strange. "How can a dead man pay the charges?"

"Authorities should either make the employers responsible for the payments or waive the charges."

Many low-income workers get health cards only for one year at the time of their visa renewal, he said.

TThe amount spent on the cards is later deducted from the workers' salaries, he said.

The health card fee is unaffordable for many workers, who draw a salary of less than Dh1,000, he added.

 

 

Lucky not for India! Forget Mr. George Fernandes

 

 

Airports asked to check US-bound MPs

June 6, 2006

Source ::: Internews

ISLAMABAD • The United States government has told Pakistan’s Airport Security Forces to make parliamentarians boarding any PIA direct flight to Washington, pass through the metal detectors at three major airports after stripping them of their belts, wrist watches and mobile phones.

A Defence Ministry official said that if these instructions were not followed in letter and spirit, there was a serious possibility that PIA might land in trouble and may be stopped from operating between the US and Pakistan. He confirmed that ASF has been asked to carry out the checks of MPs before boarding plane in the light of instructions from the US administration.

This is the first time in Pakistan that MPs would be asked by ASF officials to strip off their belts and other metallic substance before passing through the metal detectors at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports or they would not be allowed to take a flight to the US.

As a part of the regime of security measures proposed by the US which is already introduced at all the airports of America after 9/11, Pakistani MPs would also be subjected to ‘rechecks including still alarm resolution.’

The Ministry of Defence says that after deliberating upon the ‘matter’ it has been considered expedient that these instructions given by Americans be brought to the notice of MPs to extend ‘full cooperation’ to the Airport Security Force on duty at the airports.

The concerned officials of the Senate and the National Assembly informed that instructions received from ministry of defence through letter No 11-27/2005-ASF issued by joint secretary Shahidullah Baig have been conveyed to the members of parliament for compliance of new regime of security checks.

In the light of the instructions, the ASF at Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi has been given sweeping powers to subject the parliamentarians to strict security check before allowing them to board the plane.

Earlier, a US Transport Security Agency team recently carried out inspections of Pakistan’s three main airports after PIA started direct flights to Washington and other cities of the US.

The team found many lapses in the security regime and recommended that Pakistan should improve the security standard in certain areas in accordance with standards of the international civil aviation authority.

According to the ministry letter quoting US TSA team, ‘Requirement is that when the passenger passes through metal detector gate and it alarms then it is required to be resolved by requesting the passenger to remove all metallic material carried on his person including watch, mobile and belt etc.’

We may have this experience in India in the near future.

If Mr. Praful Patel is to be taken seriously, there will be orders for body type scanners in 35 identified airports.

The scanner can see everything. Though no physical search is needed.

vivekman wrote:

---

The US, with all the technology at its disposal still strips people for a body check.

---

A routine check does not involve any form of stripping. You just walk through the metal detector, without any walets, keys, chains etc. You do have to place your laptop separately (not in the hand baggage) and sometimes you may have to take your shoes off. But they certainly don’t make you take your clothes off. If they do, then they will take you to an isolated room for privacy.
It may be a hassle, but if they do go through your stuff then they (usually) respect your privacy unlike in India where they open your hand baggage in full view of everyone and take things out!
eP007

www.uninnews.com

Pakistan’s aging Boeings, Fokkers are ‘‘dangerous,’’ government warns

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Boeing and Fokker aircraft that form the backbone of Pakistan International Airlines’ medium- and short-haul fleet are ‘‘overage and dangerous,’’ a senior official warned according to media reports Friday.
‘‘These aging Boeing 737s are neither fit for flight nor fuel-friendly,’’ Tanvir Syed, parliamentary secretary for defense, told the National Assembly on Thursday, as quoted by the Daily Times newspaper.
PIA operates eight Boeing 737-300 medium-haul jets dating back to the mid-1980s. All are scheduled for replacement by newer versions of the 737 family.
Syed’s statement marks the first time the government has admitted to Pakistan International Airline’s fleet being defective since a July 12 Fokker F27 crash caused the deaths of 45 people. The tragedy prompted the government to ground the remaining F27s, though officials insisted the decision was only made to allay passenger’s safety fears.
The crash resulted in an outburst of criticism from pilots across the country. Khalid Hamza, president of the Pakistan Airline Pilots Association, said the Fokkers should have been removed from operation years ago.
On Thursday, Syed echoed that opinion when he told lawmakers that all the 737s and F27s were ‘‘overage and dangerous.’’
PIA spokesman Chaundhry Bashir declined on Friday to comment on Syed’s statement.
The state-run airline purchased eight Fokker F27 turboprops in the mid-60s and several more in the 70s. The aircraft are slated to be replaced soon by new, French-made ATR-72 turboprops.
PIA operates a total of 42 aircraft, mainly long-range types such as the Boeing 777, 747 and Airbus A310, on its routes to the Middle East, Europe and North America.
In recent years, PIA’s safety record has been called into question following numerous emergency landings and a 1989 crash in which a Fokker plane with 54 people onboard plummeted into Pakistan’s Himalayan mountains, never to be found.
Aging aircraft are not necessarily considered less safe than newer models. But planes that log large numbers of takeoffs and landings tend to develop fatigue cracks and may be more susceptible to corrosion, requiring extra maintenance and costly inspections.

Not too old.

And definitely not as old as Air India's!! 

www.uninews.com

Struggling PIA to be overhauled: chairman

 

Copyright Observer News

by Ashraf Khan

 

KARACHI, Nov 29, 2006 

Pakistan’s national flagship airline will try to pull out of a recent tailspin with a major restructuring plan and the acquisition of new planes, the chairman of the state-run carrier said.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has racked up record losses over the past two years, reportedly prompting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to summon the management and demand action to save the company.

PIA had a further shock earlier this month when it pulled part of its 747 fleet from service after European authorities complained about their condition.

‘‘We have drawn up a business plan for the restructuring of the organisation and renewal of the existing fleet,’’ PIA chairman and chief executive Tariq Kirmani said in an interview.

The airline, which has 40 planes and 22,000 employees, suffered a 4.4 billion rupee (74 million dollars) loss in 2005, compared with a profit of 2.3 billion rupees in 2004.

For the first nine months of 2006 its losses more than doubled to hit 9.2 billion rupees.

The major loser is the government, which owns 88 percent of PIA’s shares.

‘‘We keep calling on the president and prime minister (Shaukat Aziz) with regard to our efforts as to how PIA’s performance could be improved and we keep appraising them on what directions we are putting our efforts,’’ Kirmani said at his office in Karachi.

The PIA chief -- who took the helm in April 2005 after the sacking of his predecessor Ahmed Saeed -- laid most of the blame for the carrier’s woes on high fuel prices that have affected airlines around the world.

He said there was a 3.5 billion rupee rise in operating profits for 2005 but expensive fuel accounted for 48 percent of PIA’s revenues until two months ago.

However, Kirmani predicted PIA would turn the corner soon.

‘‘Things take time. We hope that in the next six months results will start coming and in 2007 PIA will be a neat and clean organisation and we would turn it into a profitable company,’’ he said.

He refused to give details of the restructuring plan but analysts said PIA must improve both its image and its planes to compete with new private airlines at home.

‘‘Robust marketing and renewal of its ageing fleet could be a part of its restructuring plan, besides availing itself of a federal financial grant of a minimum of three billion rupees,’’ said Atif Malik, a research analyst at Jahangir Siddiqui Capital Market in Karachi.

The fleet caused PIA problems in early November when the European Aviation Safety Agency criticised the poor condition of some of its jumbo jets, after which the airline removed them from service on European routes.

The chairman downplayed the incident, saying the ‘‘EU has not banned or blacklisted any of the aircraft’’.

‘‘The European Union has started its ramp inspection for past six months which examines appearance of the aircraft, cabin and cockpit crews, seats and the general appearance of the flight,’’ the chairman said.

He said that after one of these inspections PIA voluntarily refurbished its 747s and two had already returned to the air.

The airline is also battling punctuality problems, having grounded its seven-strong fleet of ageing Fokker F27 turboprops after one crashed in July, killing all 45 people on board.

‘‘Our flight punctuality was 99 percent till June this year but we faced a setback when we had to ground the Fokkers, and now (we are faced with the) European Union element,’’ Kirmani said.

But the PIA chief said the upcoming introduction of nine new aircraft -- three Boeing 777 jets and six ATR 42 turboprops -- made him ‘‘very much confident of improving our operation in the next six months’’.

The European-made ATR 42-500s will replace the Fokkers at a cost of 100 million dollars. The 777s are part of PIA’s biggest ever purchase of eight aircraft from Seattle-based Boeing in a 2002 deal worth 1.6 billion dollars.