Sale of aircraft engines: PIA decides to float separate tender

Muhammad Ali

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to float a separate tender for the sale of engines of all four grounded A-310 aircraft in order to generate an additional US$ 30 million approximately; it was learnt.

The decision was made after the allegations leveled by officials, serving in different departments of the airline that the management of PIA sold one of the all four grounded A-310 aircraft with its engine, which cost US$ 7.5 million to the PIA.

They were of the view that such aircraft without engines were more than US$1 million a piece but PIA sold one of the aircraft at just Euros 0.2 million, alleging that no airline in world did ever make earning through wet leased aircraft.

Furthermore, the airline grounded all four aircraft and sold one of them sans board's prior permission, which they termed a sheer violation of mandatory requirement.

On the other hand, PIA management claimed that no A310 aircraft was sold yet; adding that they gave tendered twice in last August and later in November when aircraft were still airworthy. However, no one showed interest. The management said that the four aircraft went out of service on November 27, December 25 and two of them were on December 31 last year, respectively.

One aircraft, which was retired on November 27, 2016, took part in a movie in Malta after obtaining a waiver from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its ferry flight and in Air France livery, which earned more than 200,000 Euros for PIA. This aircraft was later flown to Leipzig, Germany, where it is currently parked as part of an exhibition in PIA's livery and it has not been sold yet.

Furthermore, the management said that no airline in the world was currently operating A-310s and a museum in Germany expressed its interest in buying the aircraft which was right now in Germany.

The management also stated that if the aircraft was sold to the museum then its engines and APU would be sold separately and the remaining three aircraft, which were also phased out and were still parked in Karachi, would also be sold without engines through tenders.

Moreover, the management informed that PIA was now going to advertise again to sell all of them and a separate tender would also be floated for sale of its engines; adding that the average age of four A310 was 24 years and all of them were no more serviceable life. Meanwhile, in order to cater for capacity loss, the management acquired four 737-800 aircraft on lease for three months.