In the meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Aviation held on Wednesday, it has been stated that National airline PIA The ban on flights to Europe will be lifted in a few months.
PIA flights across Europe have been banned since July 2020.
Secretary Aviation Ahsan Ali Mangi while giving a briefing in the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation said that there have been three to four contacts with the British Aviation Agency in a year, they say now we are satisfied with the regulatory regime. . There is a meeting of the safety committee in November, there should be a decision, the ban on PIA will be lifted in the next few months.’
The European Union The Aviation Safety Agency has imposed a ban on PIA flights in its region for the past four years, which is still in place.
First, on July 1, 2020, the European Union Air Safety Agency (IASA) temporarily suspended Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) air operations permit from European countries for six months, and on April 8, 2021, the European Union The Union Aviation Safety Agency had extended the travel ban on PIA indefinitely.
Earlier in September of this year, it was told in the Senate committee that the ban on the flights of Pakistan International Airlines to Europe was not only due to the pilot license scandal, but a year ago, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCA) A) was also given advance security warnings.’
The meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Babar.
In the agenda, the issue of national airline PIA was discussed, while the issue of airports was postponed saying that the aviation minister himself would brief the committee on this issue.
Committee member Manza Hasan raised the issue that ‘PIA has allegations against two officers in Bahrain and Birmingham.’
CEO PIA Mohammad Amir Hayat replied that ‘Owais is the country manager in Bahrain, settled the case in one and a half months and brought Owais back.’
Dr. Darshan mentioned the complaints of PIA employees and asked the question that a PIA employee was accused of misbehaving with a woman in Dubai, was there any inquiry?
CEOPIA replied that ‘action will be taken as soon as the details come.’
PIA aircraft parked at Benazir International Airport in Islamabad on October 10, 2012 (AFP/Farooq Naeem).
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Mehreen Razak Bhutto raised questions on PIA’s audit. He said that PIA has not been audited for 10 years, on whom was the responsibility fixed?
Manza Hassan said that ‘has anyone been punished, has any action been taken?’ The committee member Ramesh Lal asked what was the reason for not having an audit for 10 years?
Secretary Aviation Ahsan Ali Mungi said in response to the questions of the members that ‘You are right that there was no audit for the first 10 years. While it has been audited twice after 2020.
Manza Hasan inquired that ‘in these 10 years there has been no crash of PIA?’ The aviation secretary replied that ‘there have been four crashes in 10 years.’
The committee sought a detailed response from PIA on the issue of not conducting audit for 10 years.
How many planes does PIA have now?
CEO PIA Mohammad Amir Hayat told the committee that currently PIA has five active 777 aircraft, before Hajj it will become seven. Abel is no more, we have 10 aircraft 320 and two ATRs.’
Committee member Mehreen Razak Bhutto said that the bureaucrats sitting here should go from Islamabad to Karachi in ATR, private airlines should also be made to operate flights on short routes, any free facility to bring dead bodies from abroad. should be provided, PIA flight was cancelled, Fly Jinnah gave 75 thousand rupees ticket from Islamabad to Karachi.
When committee member Ramesh Lal mentioned mafia in PIA, CEO PIA asked him, ‘What is meant by mafia?’
On which Ramesh Lal said that since 10 years you have not conducted an audit, former minister Sarwar Khan has sunk the boat, discredited PIA in the world, as long as black sheep are sitting in PIA, PIA has not progressed. could do.’
Mehreen Razak Bhutto said that there should be an active information desk for overseas passengers.
“Your point is important, we will note it, your criticism is for our betterment,” the CAA officials replied.
Change of name of Islamabad International Airport
Chairman Committee Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Babar objected to the name of Islamabad Airport.
He said that a resolution was passed in the assembly in 2022, it has not been implemented till date, it was a resolution to name the Islamabad Airport after Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.
Secretary Aviation replied that ‘the name is changed by the Cabinet Division.’
Committee member Mehreen Razak Bhutto said that ‘the Prime Minister should write a letter that the resolution of the committee and the assembly should be implemented immediately.’
While the committee decided to take an in-camera briefing on the issue of fake PIA licenses.
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**Interview with Ahsan Ali Mangi, Secretary Aviation**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Ahsan Ali Mangi. Recently, there have been some encouraging developments regarding the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe. Can you share more about what was discussed during the National Assembly’s Standing Committee meeting?
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** Thank you for having me. Yes, during the meeting, we discussed various points related to PIA, notably the anticipated lifting of the flight ban to Europe. After multiple discussions with the British Aviation Agency, they have expressed satisfaction with our regulatory regime. We believe that by the next few months, the ban could indeed be lifted.
**Editor:** This ban has been in place since July 2020. What led to its initial imposition, and what has been done to address those concerns?
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** The initial suspension was mainly due to the pilot licensing scandal and other regulatory issues identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Since then, we’ve implemented several changes to our safety protocols and regulatory compliance measures. The upcoming safety committee meeting in November is pivotal in making the final decision regarding the ban.
**Editor:** The situation around PIA has also raised additional concerns, including reports of officer misconduct in Bahrain and Birmingham. Can you clarify how PIA is addressing these allegations?
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** Yes, these allegations are taken very seriously. The case involving our Bahrain country manager, Owais, was resolved satisfactorily within a month and a half. As for the incident involving a Dubai-based employee, a formal inquiry will be initiated as soon as we receive more details.
**Editor:** There were questions raised about the lack of audits for PIA over the past decade. What are the implications of this, and how is PIA correcting course?
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** You’re right to point that out. PIA had not undergone a comprehensive audit for about ten years, which is concerning. However, we’ve conducted two audits since 2020, and we are working on ensuring regular audits going forward to enhance transparency and accountability.
**Editor:** how many aircraft does PIA currently have in operation, and what are the future plans?
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** Currently, PIA has five active Boeing 777 aircraft. We expect to increase this number to seven before the Hajj season. we have around ten Airbus A320s and two ATRs in our fleet. We’re focused on increasing operational capacity and improving service quality as we move forward.
**Editor:** Thank you for your insights, Ahsan. It sounds like PIA is on the path to recovery, with promising developments on the horizon.
**Ahsan Ali Mangi:** Thank you for the opportunity to discuss these important issues. We are committed to improving PIA’s standing and operational efficiency.
