Tag: PIA flights

  • Lahore-Canada flight turns back after hydraulic dysfunction

    Lahore-Canada flight turns back after hydraulic dysfunction

    A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) aircraft enroute to Canada has returned back to Pakistan midway due to hydraulic dysfunction during the trip, The News has reported.

    The technical problem was discovered when flight PK-797 was flying over Russia, forcing the plane to return to Allama Iqbal International Airport.

    The aircraft took off from Lahore at 4:30 a.m. on Monday and landed back at 1:30 p.m at the same airport.  

    According to the PIA spokesman, due to delays in repair, the passengers of the flight would be sent to Toronto on an alternative flight.

  • Dress according to cultural, national morals, wear undergarments: PIA

    Dress according to cultural, national morals, wear undergarments: PIA

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has made it compulsory for its air crew to wear undergarments. The airline has instructed its crew to wear undergarments while wearing plain clothes.

    The memo was sent to PIA General Manager Flight Services, Aamir Bashir.

    “It has been observed with great concern that a few cabin crew tend to dress casually while traveling intercity, staying in hotels and visiting various offices. Such dressing leaves a poor impression on the viewer and portrays a negative image of not only the individual but also of the organisation,” reads the internal memo of the airline.

    “The clothing worn by males and females should be in accordance with our cultural and national morals,” the guideline read.
    The supervision of flight attendant attire has been made necessary for grooming instructors and senior shift in-charges.

  • 200 officials to reportedly fly for Hajj on govt expenses, PM takes notice

    200 officials to reportedly fly for Hajj on govt expenses, PM takes notice

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of a media report about government officials performing Hajj this year on government expense. A list of 200 officials/officers from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has been finalised by the government for Hajj this year. Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor will also be performing Hajj this year apart from 35 members of the minister’s office, which includes five drivers, four gunmen, one cook and 11 personal secretaries and assistants, reports Kasim Abbasi for The News.

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) commenced Hajj flight operations on Monday (June 6) and1,080 pilgrims left for Hajj. Two flights left from Islamabad and one each from Lahore and Quetta.

    Hajj pilgrims are also being informed about their flight schedules through the website and SMS on their mobile number.

    A spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs said that at least 32,000 pilgrims will be flown to Saudi Arabia through 106 Hajj flights under the government’s Hajj scheme. He further added that 42 flights will be operated from Islamabad under the “Road to Makkah” project.

    Saudi Arabia has launched the “Road to Makkah” initiative in five countries, including Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh for the fourth consecutive year since its launch in 2019.

    Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry in a statement said the “Road to Makkah” initiative aims to receive the pilgrims and complete their procedures from their countries with ease.

  • PIA prohibits pilots and cabin crew from fasting during Ramzan

    PIA prohibits pilots and cabin crew from fasting during Ramzan

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has prohibited its pilots and cabin staff members from fasting during the holy month of Ramzan.

    As per a recent safety notice released by the national flag carrier, fasting is one of the key factors behind diminished human performance.

    The decision is part of the PIA’s in-flight safety measures, which were recently announced by Aamir Bashir, the PIA’s General Manager (GM) of Flight Services.

    In order to meet the physical and psychological demands of flying, a healthy diet is crucial for pilots. Human errors that result in plane crashes can be minimized by focusing on nutrition due to its strong connection with flying performance.

    On-duty pilots and flying crew members should consider several aspects such as tiredness, performance degradation, and refrain from fasting throughout Ramadan, keeping in view the safety of the innocent lives (passengers and other staff).

    In addition to this, the administration has also allowed pilots and cabin crew members to apply for leave who do not wish to give up fasting during the month of Ramadan.

    Read more: Man hacks airline’s website after he lost his baggage

    Lastly, it also noted that non-compliance with the directive could result in the suspension or cancellation of the flying crew’s licenses.

  • PIA plane denied permission to land in India

    PIA plane denied permission to land in India

    Patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council and Member of National Assembly, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, in a video message has said that rumours regarding the cancellation of “Faith Tourism Initiative” are false, and the programme has been postponed, but not cancelled.

    The news reports regarding refusal of the Indian government, regarding the request of landing PIA plane at Jaipur International Airport, have been making rounds since morning. Ramesh, while clarifying the news, said, “Our request for PIA landing reached India on January 24; they only had one day after it, and then it was a holiday on 26, and yesterday was 27 so they said they require some time for clearance.”

    “We accept your faith tourism programme and it is a good proposal and we welcome it,” was India’s official response according to Dr Ramesh Kumar.

    Dr Ramesh added that he is hopeful that he will get the clearance next week.

    “This initiative is highly welcomed by both Pak/Indian Governments,” he said in a tweet.

    The programme was initially planned to take Pakistani nationals to India on a four-day tour from January 29-February 1, 2022, for Pilgrimage of Hazrat Nizamudin Aulia (R.A.) Delhi and Hazrat Moinudin Chishti (R.A.) Ajmer ,along with a visit of Taj Mahal Agra, Pink city Jaipur and city tour of Delhi.

  • Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    A Malaysia-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-894 from Islamabad was delayed on Thursday night because of a plane hijacking scare, reports Saama.

    The flight was supposed to take off at 12:30 am but it was cleared by 2 am as the plane was thoroughly searched.

    The national airline’s spokesperson said that as they had doubts about a terror attack, therefore they started a search and checked passengers. This took time and delayed take-off.

    He said that false information was circulated that a hijacking alert has been issued but this wasn’t true.

  • PIA flight makes emergency landing, two take-offs scare passengers

    The plane with flight number PK-301, run by the PIA airlines, was travelling from Islamabad to Karachi when a sudden technical fault was discovered in the airplane’s engine, making the passengers extremely anxious.

    A team of engineers checked and fixed the issue. However, when the flight tried to take off again, loud noise from one of the engines was heard, which again scared the passengers and they refused to fly.

    In the end, the flight — PK-301 — took off with only six passengers, with the luggage all left behind in Islamabad.

    According to an official statement by the airline spokesman Abdullah Khan said the remaining passengers will be accommodated on the 7pm PK-309 flight.

  • PIA denies reports of not providing mineral water to passengers

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has denied the rumours that it will not supply mineral water to passengers on domestic flights, Geo News has reported.

    Some media reports suggested that PIA has decided to stop serving bottles of mineral water to passengers on all domestic flights as part of the national carrier’s efforts to reduce its huge losses.

    “PIA refutes a web news item intended to damage our repute that we will not provide water onboard,” said the PIA, adding that it is a “misrepresentation by some prominent media outlets”, which is both irresponsible and unprofessional.

    PIA categorically rejected the reports saying that “such reports only intended to mislead passengers”.

    In a separate development, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has barred barred airlines from serving food on domestic flights due to the sharp increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.

  • PIA to offer discounted fare to vaccinated citizens

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)  has announced to give up to 10 percent discount on airfare to passengers who have vaccination certificate and are aged 50 years and above, ARY News has reported. The new fares will come into effect from today (10 June).

    Senior citizens who are 50-years-old or above can avail the discount on domestic flights by showing their Covid-19 vaccination certificate issued by NADRA. However, the discount can only be availed on domestic flights.

    According to CEO PIA Arshad Malik, “PIA actively seeks to boost the government’s vaccination campaign.”

    Yesterday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) decided to introduce certain incentives for various sectors to encourage vaccinations.

    The NCOC also announced walk-in vaccination for citizens above 18 years of age from June 11.

  • EU refuses to lift ban on PIA, seeks safety audit of CAA

    EU refuses to lift ban on PIA, seeks safety audit of CAA

    The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has decided to retain a ban on the Pakistan International Airlines, saying it will not be lifted until a complete safety audit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

    In response to a request by PIA CEO Arshad Malik, wherein he sought temporary suspension of the ban, the EU agency said the CAA will have to fulfill the pre-conditions if it wanted the ban to be lifted.

    Profit reported a letter by EASA as saying: “Regarding a lack of confidence in certification and oversight activities performed by the Pakistani CAA, which was the second aspect that led to the suspension of Third Country Operator Authorisation, the investigation performed by the European Commission and by the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] has not yet been concluded.”

    “Consequently, as all preconditions to lift the suspension are not met and, as an audit will be necessary, the agency decided not to revoke your Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation but to extend the suspension period by additional three months.”

    On Saturday, Ghulam Sarwar, the aviation minister, had claimed that the ban on PIA flights to Europe would be lifted soon. The EU banned the PIA flights in July after claims that the PIA pilots had fake licences.