Interesting revelation was made in The News, Newspost. Read the letters below. PIA, which was once one of the best airlines of the world, having played a pivotal role in the making of Emirates Airlines and Singapore Airlines is now ranked 2nd worst in the world.
Friday, April 30, 2010
This is with reference to a report published in CNNMoney.com (April 14), according to which, PIA is the second worst airline of the world in terms of on-time departures and delays. The report is based on findings by Flight Stats, a US-based company which has ranked Japan Airlines as the best airline for on-time departures. This deterioration of PIA is very disturbing given the fact that it now has a relatively younger fleet with nine Boeing 777s and 5 ATRs, following the grounding of its ageing fleet of fuel-guzzling 747s. Its fleet has the same average age as Southwest, which tops the list of US-based airlines for flight regularity and on-time departures.
The Pakistan government, in spite of the financial crunch, has pumped billions of rupees into PIA, but it has failed to provide it with a professionally competent management that could curtail pilferages and culture of corruption and kickbacks that have dominated the airline since Gen Musharraf’s tenure. It is the appointment of cronies, with known indulgence in financial wrongdoings, by Musharraf and the present regime that has led to PIA’s ranking amongst the worst airlines of the world. PIA is today as bad as Pakistan Railways. The only difference being that while railways has a depleted fleet of engines (courtesy Ashraf Qazi), PIA has 14 new aircraft. Both these organisations have been plundered through corruption, mediocrity, political appointments and pilferages. It is time the authorities concerned took action and prevented further loss to the national exchequer by sacking the incompetent management of PIA.
Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi
Islamabad
*****
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
I share the sentiments of Meekal A Ahmed, Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, Rashid Orakzai and Aneela Chandio (May 2). PIA was once run by men of integrity and commitment like Nur Khan, Asghar Khan, Rafique Saigol etc. These days, integrity and merit are apparently a disqualification as individuals shrouded in controversies are considered fit to head state-owned organisations. That PIA has gone from bad to worse does not seem to bother the elected government, for which cronies with their hand in the till are a source of pride and satisfaction.
No wonder the credibility of this government is almost non-existent. An airline with a fleet of Boeing 777s and ATRs being ranked as the second worst airline in terms of delays should have rung alarm bells in Islamabad. It is sheer incompetence that is responsible for this mess. Perhaps a third-party audit is due, or else this airline may face a major catastrophe.
R Chaudhry
Conroe, TX, US
Its not just PIA, name one department that does not have, as you wrote “corruption, mediocrity, political appointments and pilferage”, starting from presidency!
lol! and we just pitched for their advertising!
yukh!
how sad can we be!