The Nation’s reporter in his investigative report has revealed reasons for grounding of almost half the PIA fleet. What I cannot understand is why should PIA appoint a single supplier of parts, who is located in Dubai, when it has a choice of several such suppliers located at various international airports it operates at? Controversial decision by this management, which has inflicted billions in losses, leading to cancellations, delays and reduction in routes should be investigated and the culprits should be give exemplary punishments.
PIA should have learnt some lessons from such suicidal mistakes, when in 2005-2006 they made similar mistake and ended up with a ban by European Union in 2007. Airlines all over world have various vendors located conveniently along their route structure to avoid delays, cancellations and penalties for such lapses like hotel accommodation for thousands of passengers. Unless offenders responsible for such criminal negligence are punished, this taxpayer owned airline will continue to suffer losses. It is surprising that while the airline fleet was shrinking because of grounded aircrafts, the management continued to hire more pilots, engineers, officers and other cadre of employees, although it is notoriously famous for having highest number of employees per aircraft in the entire world. It seems employment requirements in PIA are tailored to suit political elite, or senior airline executives, whose children cannot find other jobs on merit.
SHAHZAD KHALIL,
Sialkot, February 7.