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No Dubai ban on PIA flights

DUBAI/KARACHI — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be allowed to continue its operations into Dubai, the emirate’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) confirmed yesterday.

The clarification comes in the wake of the European Union (EU) banning most of PIA’s fleet from flying to the 27-nation bloc.

An official of the DCA also denied an earlier local media report which said Pakistan’s national carrier could be banned from flying into the emirate.

“Dubai International Airport (DIA) follows international regulations on safety and airworthiness of aircraft, rules which also govern PIA’s safety standards. As such, Dubai DCA has no safety concerns about PIA aircraft. The Pakistani national carrier will therefore continue its Dubai operations unhindered,” the official said.

The DCA official also confirmed that all airlines operating at DIA comply with the regulations earmarked by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

However, when contacted by Khaleej Times, the office of Mohamed R.M. Khonji, Regional Director of the ICAO Middle East Office in Cairo, Egypt, refused to comment on their policies in evaluating the air-worthiness of aircraft flying into the region.

Meanwhile, speaking from the PIA’s headquarters in Karachi, Nasir Jamal, General Manager for Public Affairs, claimed that an international media report which said PIA had been banned from operating in the EU, was “unfounded”.

“PIA’s operations in EU countries are not banned. However, operating restrictions are being temporarily applied, which are aircraft-specific (Boeing 747s and Airbus 310s only) to enable PIA to carry out certain further measures,” a statement sent to Dubai by PIA’s headquarters read.

Some 34 of the airline’s 43 commercial aircraft have reportedly been affected by the restrictions. They include six B747-300s, two B747-200s, seven B737-300s, one B727-200, 13 A310s, two A321s, and three ATR-500s. A majority of these Boeing aircraft are more than 25 years old. The Airbus 310s and 300s are almost 20 years old.

Aviation industry sources in Dubai told Khaleej Times that as per the norm, most internationally-recognised carriers operate their passenger fleet for 18 to 20 years. If an aircraft is well maintained, it can even last for 25 years. After this, the aircraft is considered for freighter conversions, especially the wide-body types, for example the one-aisle aircraft like Airbus 320s, and can be used for another 20 years.

PIA had been informed last year itself by the EU Air Safety Committee (ASC) in Brussels, Belgium, that a majority of its ageing B-747s and A-310s required immediate attention to meet the stringent air safety criteria for using EU airspace.

The Pakistan airline claims it immediately began work to remove the deficiencies by establishing an Action Plan with “clear milestones duly endorsed by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority.”

The airline’s top management, they point out, has also met with the EU-ASC on March 2 to discuss the additional measures they are taking to comply with the EU norms, including aircraft safety, fleet modernisation, maintenance, repair, overhaul and engineering.

In a statement, the airline added that it was only in December 2005 that the EU introduced some more stringent air safety criteria for aircraft using the airspace of its member countries. “EU’s regulations in this context (air safety), are still evolving and its procedures and precedents for evaluating airlines are not widely known, with resultant potential for miscommunication and misperceptions, which has substantially contributed to PIA’s current situation,” the statement read.

Jamal, however, failed to provide further information on the “operational restrictions” put forth by EU or how this may eventually affect their operations in the Middle East. He disclosed that Tariq Kirmani, PIA’s President, would meet the Press today (March 6) in Karachi to discuss the matter at length.