The engineering department of the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has done it, though belated. It is now an Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO), having received prestigious Part-145 certification of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
It is for the first time in PIA's history that in recognition of the high aviation safety procedures, adopted by the engineering department, which has been certified as AMO.
The PIA engineering department is now an approved maintenance organisation for commercial aircraft, covering the activities relating to maintenance of all types of aircraft and components from any airline in the world.
The Deputy Managing Director (Operations), PIA, Air Vice Marshal Niaz Husain (Retd), told Business Recorder that EASA Part-145 is no mean achievement.
It had taken "us about six months to prepare the Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE), which was thoroughly studied, and deeply scanned by a three-member team of auditors from the Civil Aviation (GSAC), France, before we were cleared for the certification," he said.
Within one month of the award of Part-145, PIA has been approached by Biman of Bangladesh, Flyair and MNG of Turkey, and Logistic Air of Indonesia to undertake the maintenance checks of their aircraft.
Since it was at his initiative (as director of engineering then) that the process to seek international certification had begun, he took pains in explaining in details how it all happened and why?
He said there were two international aviation authorities, ie the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), covering North America, and the Joint Aviation Authority (JAA), operating in Europe, which was now known as EASA.
Previously, 38 European states were its members, but now it represented all European states (even non-European Union states) civil aviation agencies, he added.
In 1992, both the FAA and the JAA committees themselves to harmonise all regulations for design, maintenance, Ops and maintenance of civil aircraft and components, noise and emissions from aircraft and engines, and flight crew licensing.
The Part-145 characteristics are that it is approved for undertaking management organisation, maintenance schedule and procedures, adequate facilities, tools, certifying staff qualifications, and audit procedures.
Air Vice Marshal Niaz Husain (Retd) said though PIA engineering department had been overhauling and repairing aircraft (Boeing and Airbus) engines and components for the past 30 years, adding there was no methodology to check quality of the process.
Established and approved overhaul procedures were in vogue, and a good QC (to check the quality of the product) system was in place, he said, adding the engineering department was also geared to production at a certain capacity, and the rate of methodology to check the quality of products was good.
He, however, said there was no quality system to ensure that the process would be adhered to at all times and that it would be good and remain in place. In addition to the QC system, and QA system (to check the quality of the process).
The first major decision, he proudly claimed, was to establish and run a viable and effective QA programme in the engineering department in addition to the existing QC system, saying he is firm believer that "QA are the eyes and ears of the management."
He explained that there were three reasons for PIA engineering department going the Part-145 route:
(i) It was a complete and methodical manner of enforcing a QA programme, (ii) If successful in implementing the system and then successful in international certification, it would give PIA customers great confidence in the quality of its products, and (iii) It was a very strong motivational factor for engineering and technicians to incorporate and effective QA procedure.
"Once embarked on the programme, we could not afford to fail. And in the bargain PIA engineering department would have a viable QAP," he said.
"It was a long haul all the way from implementation to certification, but we did it. We went about it in a determined manner, methodically, and never rushing too fast. It was team work that accomplished a mighty task," he added.
He said the experience of the three GSAC auditors, who came for the Part-145 audit was extensive, ranging up to 23 years and between them they had conducted several hundred audits around the globe.
They were an experienced team and they knew their job well. What was even more trying for us was that they had studied our MOE for five months and knew everything about our organisation, down to the form we used and procedures, he said, adding for 10 days they conducted a very thorough audit of PIA engineering department, procedures of work, tool stores, spare stores, facilities and quality system.
To cut a long story short, he said on February 26, 2004, the auditors debriefed the PIAC chairman, that:
(i) we had a "near perfect" MOE, (ii) during the initial audit and review they established that we were following the MOE, (iii) our tool stores and spare stores were better than they had seen in other maintenance organisations, and (iv) lo and behold on March 19, EASA issued the approval certificate to PIA engineering department making them an Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) with Part-145 approval.
AVM Niaz Husain acknowledged it but for the support and encouragement received from PIAC Chairman Ahmed Saeed, EASA Part-145 would have remained a dream. "He is a true leader, bold and a man of vision, whose determination and leadership got us this approval", he added.
He said that people who want to work and achieve something for the country, sky is the limit, adding: "We are now preparing for the next step and that is surveillance audit in September this year and hoped to qualify for that position as well and keep the PIA colours fly high and mighty".