The Managing Director of PIA, Captain Aijaz Haroon, has said that PIA has planned to induct 27 modern aircraft in its fleet during the next five years, while President Asif Ali Zardari has asked the PIA management to get more planes on lease for different destination, "and we are negotiating with different private airlines for this purpose but mostly companies are reluctant to provide aircraft for required destination".
Talking to newsmen here after a seminar on 'Pakistan Aviation Safety Challenges and Strategies', organised jointly by International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), Royal Aeronautical Society Pakistan, and PIA here on Friday, he said that there was no possibility of reduction in domestic fares. However, the government has reduced Haj fare by Rs 10,000.
He said that PIA was not a white elephant, and added that it was incurring losses after 2004 when the oil prices had increased to 147 dollars per barrel. Otherwise, it was running in profit between 2000 and 2004. He claimed that PIA had controlled its losses. He said that PIA would increase the salaries of the entire staff when pilots' demands were met "and we did not revise pay of any employee as yet".
H said that such pilots would be regularised who had completed their three years' contract period with good behaviour and conduct. He admitted that there was shortage of cabin crew, "and we are going to introduce a recruitment policy to replenish the vacancies".
He said that there was dire need of a legislation for immediate publication of accidental inquiry reports. He said that Peshawar operation would continue when the airport is open, "because we are national flag carrier". Earlier,Wing Commander Naseen Ahmed, member of USASI, spoke on need for independent accident investigation organisation.
Engr Hafeez-uddin, Secretary, Royal Aeronautical Society, Air Commodore Hashim Pervez Yamin spoke on aircraft accident and opportunity to improve aviation safety. Colonel Umar Chaudhry, GM, Corporate Safety, spoke on use of flight data management for aviation safety and investigation. Air Commodore Shadab Hussain, General Manager, Corporate Safety, spoke on 'bird hazards and aviation safety'.
Chow Wah, of Singapore Accident Investigation Board, spoke on 'under-water search and rescue operation'. Colonel Arshad Amin of Pakistan Army gave lecture on risk management. The message of Frank Del Gandio, President of ISASI, was read out by Naseem Ahmed.
Group Captain M Abdul Basit, Captain Salman Azhar, and Engr Usman Javed also spoke.They said that statistics compiled by the Netherlands Civil Aviation Authority showed that world-wide an average of 17 fatal ALAs occurred each year during 1980 to 1998 in passenger operations and cargo operations conducted by aircraft weighing 5,700 kilograms/12,500 pounds or more.
The Data Acquisition and Analysis Working Group validated accident-prevention strategies based on analysis of 287 fatal accident reports; detailed case studies of 76 accidents and serious incidents; and assessments of key flight crew behavioural markers identified in the accidents and incidents, and in line audits of 3,300 flights.
The Operations and Training Working Group developed, from accident and incident data, eight conclusions about the major causes of ALAs and how to prevent them. The Aircraft Equipment Working Group examined how to make better use of equipment currently aboard transport aircraft to prevent ALAs; and, the Air Traffic Control Training and Procedures/Airport Facilities Working Group examined navigational charting, ground equipment and facilities standards, phraseology in communications between air traffic controllers and pilots, and controller training.
Cabin crews are responsible primarily for passenger safety, an aspect of their duties often overlooked by passengers eager to be served beverages and food during a flight. Cabin Crew Safety reports on subjects that reflect not only on the safety of passengers, but that of all the aircraft's crew members.
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