The EU Transport Commissioner is on record said that slapping of EU ban is worse than a series of fatal crashes for the credibility of an airline. PIA the national airline of Pakistan suffered this ignominy, because of poor management by the airline and failure of CAA to perform its regulatory function.
This partial ban which was imposed after a series of complaints following inspections at various European airports in particular London Heathrow and Manchester airport.
These complaints involved safety equipment like Emergency Exit Lights, loose wires of Passenger Entertainment Units along the floor of passenger cabin, faulty underbelly cargo compartment equipment and ground fuelling deficiencies. Complaints following inspections originated during tenure of the previous CEO but they went unheeded.
PIA's executive corridor is dominated by a team of sycophants who serve as yes-man for every CEO and nod their head, irrespective of the consequences and inherent dangers involved by their actions. Repeated reminders after every inspection were ignored by senior PIA Engineering executives dominated by retired PAF and Army Aviation men.
The In-house PIA Safety Division and Quality Assurance section, instead of performing their role as safety auditors, opted to remain as silent spectators, for fear of angering the Chairman or the powerful engineering executives. It is unfortunate that minor defects pointed out during transit safety inspections, which could have been easily rectified were considered inconsequential by both PIA and CAA.
Zafar Khan, who took over from Tariq Kirmani, was soft spoken and the yes-man executives he inherited, all assumed this tone in correspondence and meetings with EU. Zafar Khan was accompanied with the same team that went with his predecessor but the results were very different. Based on written assurances and work done, the EU was convinced that PIA will rectify the complaints.
The partial ban was lifted and a few individual aircraft were cleared after a series of inspections. Till todate neither all the A310s nor B747 have been cleared.
A thorough enquiry carried out by a Parliamentary Committee or a judicial probe will prove that this ban was imposed because of the incompetence and lack of professional integrity by senior PIA and CAA executives in Engineering, Flight Safety, Aeronautical Inspection Division, who were appointed on basis of recommendations and not on merit.
People appointed in a regulatory body or in-house safety audit section, must have the courage to speak the truth, otherwise they will become a danger to flight safety. Those given extensions beyond superannuation are more concerned about their extension, than the job assigned to them.