An International independent body ‘AirlineRatings’ in its study has declared National Flag carrier (PIA) the worst airline globally in terms of safety.
It is worth mentioning here that ‘AirlineRatings’ rated 230 airlines on the basis of four criteria: fatalities, incidents, audits, and COVID compliance and the best airlines receive seven stars.
The American based this world-first, www.airlineratings.com delivers expert safety ratings for more than 435 airlines around the world.
PIA has received the lowest one-star rating from the study. Along with Pakistan International Airlines, there are 6 other airlines that have got one star rating in terms of safety and those are Air Algerie, Sriwijaya Air, Scat, Iran Aseman Airlines, Airblue and Blue Wing.
According to the AirlineRatings, airlines get three stars if they avoid fatalities over the long term, two stars if they avoid serious incidents, and one star if they pass audits and are in compliance with Covid. The best airlines get 7 star rating.
On its second landing attempt in Karachi in 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed in a crowded place, killing 100 people. In addition to runway incursions and loss of separations, PIA has experienced several incidents involving smoke indicators and engine failures in recent years.
Shoukat Jamshed a former President of Society of Aircrafts Engineers Pakistan (SAEP) said that although PIA and CAA’s higher management are responsible for poor safety standards of PIA but CAA plays major role in safety of the aircrafts. He was of the view that after Gen. ® Zia ul Haq rule a race of clearing aircraft earlier was started due to which safety was compromised. He believed that officials hired from Air Force were not much conversant with the technicalities of commercial aviation and they were involved in number game. Examination system of pilots was also faulty and not transparent, he claimed. “I firmly believe that in the latest incident of crash in Karachi pilot was 100 percent at fault and crash happened due to human error”.
Former Flight Enginner PIA stated that AirlineRatings classifies airlines in-flight services, Inflight Entertainment System, Punctuality consumer friendly ticketing reservation systems etc also. The legacy left behind by AM Arshad Malik and his management is that PIA has been rated 1 Star which is the lowest and other than compliance with COVID19 and IOSA certification which every IATA member possess. Compare this to the legacy of Rafique Saigol and AM Nur Khan under whom PIA was considered leading airlines of Asia with best performance in every field. AM Nur Khan understood that he lacks experience in commercial aviation and did not bring a team from PAF. He chose a team of qualified professionals with experience in commercial aviation. The PIA A320 crash in a crowded area where residences were allowed to be built by CAA in violation of height restrictions resulted in 100 fatalities. This matter was grossly mishandled by both PIA and PCAA and Aviation Minister and there was no need to raise the issue of Fake Licences. The DG CAA has the power to suspend or cancel any license and there was no need to raise this matter in NA and bring into disrepute the whole aviation industry of Pakistan.
The Federal Government extended AM Arshad all financial support but PIA today is in shambles. Either PIA should be privatised or a professional appointed with no political interference as was offered by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to Nur Khan and an independent board with powers to hire and fire and then only can PIA be resurrected from the pits it has descended to. He was of the view that the Fed Government must review its Aviation Policy and rationalise this so called Open Sky policy if Pakistan’s aviation industry is to survive. CAA must be restructured and should no longer be an organisation for rehabilitation of retired uniformed and civil officers or political cronies.
Sriwijaya Air which is an Indonesian based airlines, lost 62 passengers and crew members last January after one of their Boeing 737-500 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta.
The ATR 72-200 of Iran Aseman Airlines crashed into the Zagros Mountains in Iran in 2018, killing all 66 people onboard.
Following the incident of Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 in 2020, PIA was banned from flying to EU and USA. There are currently 96 airlines on the EU’s blacklist and airlines from over 20 countries are banned in USA.
Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.
