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EDITORIAL: The PK 860 was to reach Karachi carrying full load, including 150 Umra pilgrims, but for reasons not yet clear it didn’t land at Karachi. It flew onto Lahore and landed there, with its passengers wondering how come someone had changed their destination.

“Unavoidable operational reasons” have been cited by the airline’s spokesperson as the cause for change of destination of its passengers. ‘What to do now’, the passengers wondered only to be placated by the PIA staff, who told them: ‘Don’t worry’. You will reach Karachi by Sunday evening’.

And as for the new flight PK 762 from Jeddah its 180 booked passengers were supposedly adjusted by putting them in expensive hotels.

Of course, operational reasons do demand changes in flying schedules. But why this PK 860 had to change its destination, to this the popular opinion is that there must be a ‘VVIP’ on the flight who wanted to reach Lahore as quickly as possible, and that had forced the PK 860 to be in Lahore instead of its scheduled destination of Karachi. Hopefully, by now the ‘VVIP’ must be at home and so should be the passengers who were stuck in Jeddah for 24 hours.

But all this happened at a cost that is heavy, particular for the PIA, which is now treated as a pariah in the aviation world. It is a losing concern and is in the air yet only because it is Pakistan’s national air carrier.

Imagine the cost the PIA would pay for this re-routing of PK 860 to take the ‘VVIP’ to his home town by ignoring the ordeal of so many other passengers during this holy month of Ramazan. Informed sources are of the opinion that the PIA has a history of taking such business-unfriendly decisions to please ‘VVIPs’.

This change of destination to let a ‘VVIP’ be at home and not considering how much this would cost in terms of hotel accommodation for passengers, who could not be on their booked flights by the PIA and the time these passengers lost, is no more tolerable now.

The country’s economy is teetering on the brink of disaster and the world is no more sympathetic to our plight for some obvious reasons. PIA is one of the worst sufferers of this nonchalance.

Also, when only recently the government announced a stiff free-travel plan for the ‘VVIPs’ the change of PK 860 destination tends to lend a kind of hollowness to such pronouncements.

Let the people know the whole truth about this episode; and not the vague ‘unavoidable operational reasons’ excuse. Last but not least, once upon a time the PIA truly lived up to its ‘Great people to fly with’ reputation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Comments

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Qasim Mahmood khwaja Mar 28, 2023 09:56am
Great article... We need more media people exposing the corrupt gov, army and bureaucracy. This is a crime against the passengers, the investors and the general public.
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Builder Mar 28, 2023 01:52pm
Why don't we get privatise PIA? What are the hurdles? This white elephant should be no more government liability!
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Aircraft Driver Mar 28, 2023 04:00pm
Why you are misguiding the people? There was no VVIP such thing. PIA is facing serious shortage of pilots and Supreme Court is not letting them to hire more pilots.
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Mazen Mar 28, 2023 08:02pm
Name that VVIP person.
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Aman Mar 28, 2023 09:12pm
Serious pilot shortage 50 resigned 18 B777 Capt s retiring in next few months what do u expect afterall those planes need pilots to fly and PIA not admitting real issue that pilots r leaving they r no longer want to negotiate with management whole world is seriously short on pilots and they r paying high salaries on other hand PIA does not even pay allowances for over months plus taxing at 40 percent u think B777 pilots will work for 2000 dollars only when others r paying 20000 dollars and A320 jobs r vacant all over middle East to be filled well PIA management is living in fools paradise
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Anjum Hameed Mar 28, 2023 09:45pm
Whoever that alleged VVIP was, whether they existed or not, the point is that PIA has become the Soldier Bazaar to Malir bus service..along with every other institution in Pakistan, including its establishment…
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Aircraft Driver Mar 29, 2023 12:34am
@Anjum Hameed, bro it was not due to VVIP it was due to the serious pilots shortage. Ask the Supreme Court why is it so? They are not letting PIA to hire pilots.
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Aircraft Driver Mar 29, 2023 12:35am
@Mazen, it was not due to VVIP. It was due to the serious shortage of pilots PIA is facing. Supreme Court of Pakistan is not letting PIA to hire Pilots.
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Aircraft Driver Mar 29, 2023 12:37am
@Aman, sir Supreme Court has banned new recruitments even though PIA has requested early hearing petition to uplift new recruitments ban but Supreme Court is not letting them to hire more.
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Khan Mar 29, 2023 11:09am
@Aircraft Driver, I think distance to Karachi is less then Lahore. Shortage of pilot forced the PIA to go Lahore is illogical, please
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Aircraft Driver Mar 29, 2023 12:37pm
@Khan, sir better to say Interruption of Supreme Court makes no sense to decide the affairs of an National Airlines.
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Shakeel Siddiqui Mar 29, 2023 03:06pm
It is definitely done for Sharif family. Or Muslim League N member . They never care about people of Pakistan or loss of Pakistan.
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Aman Mar 29, 2023 05:44pm
@Aircraft Driver, even if they allow problem would take years to solve
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Hassam Irshad Siddiqui Mar 29, 2023 06:42pm
It is not the first time when we see this in the era of PMLN Govt. We have been watching this in history of PLMN , whenever they came in power PIA and its reputation went down
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Fraz Mar 29, 2023 11:09pm
@Shakeel Siddiqui, don't spread fake and foolish news.. Pmln is not like Imran Khan
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Dr Nadeem Mar 30, 2023 05:13am
Why the name of VVIP is not in the news It should be there so that whole nation should know the policy of PIA and government policy. I request to declare the name of VVIP Thanks
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Yunus Mar 30, 2023 02:05pm
@Fraz , what a joke
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Asif Mar 31, 2023 02:54pm
@Aircraft Driver, so by changing route..you Are giving lifts to pilots. Is it first time that it happened? Offcourse Not
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Aircraft Driver Apr 01, 2023 02:43am
@Asif, if you don’t know how airlines operations work. It is requested not to debate.
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Aircraft Driver Apr 01, 2023 02:51am
@Dr Nadeem , because there was no VVIP at all. PIA is facing serious shortage of pilots and Supreme Court has banned five years ago and forgot in the era of Saqib Nisar now they are not fixing the case for hearing. They are playing elections elections and interfering in the matters of Parliament. People wait for their cases years and years but it is not fixed. Now they are doing the same with the National Flag.
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