EU Suspends PIA Safety Certificate

[Abbas Ali]

Tariq Abul Hasan

Saturday, March 10, 2012

KARACHI: As a consequence of increasingly unprofessional and incompetent management, the fears regarding the devastation of the national airline are finally crystallising as the air safety certificate granted by the European Union (EU) to the PIA has been suspended with immediate effect. Sources have claimed that PIA’s Europe bound flights may also be cancelled in the near future.

In 2004, the national airline PIA gained the EU sponsored European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) approval (part 145). Following obtaining this certificate, the standard of PIA engineering was equal to that of any other European country. Within the first year of EASA approval, PIA began repairing foreign aircrafts, and earned $50,00,000 which became a continuous source of income.

However, the current PIA management and bureaucracy, despite continuous warning from the EU, has failed to rectify and remedy its mistakes, and PIA’s EASA certificate has subsequently been suspended on this issue.

According to airline sources, leaders and representatives of PIA and Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on a recent trip to Brussels had been warned by the European Union of the increasing risk and hazard to the national airline’s flight safety and were warned that till March 12, there should be no disobeying flight safety regulations; however, despite this word of caution, PIA still refused to comply with EU levels and standards of flight safety.

According to reports, the first violation manifested itself during an inspection of a PIA aircraft, when it was discovered that the pilot’s belongings were scattered all over the cockpit. The second violation to come to light was regarding flight cargo—in another PIA aircraft, bulk cargo was not properly loaded. During the flight, the cargo was dislodged as a result of which the cargo door could not be opened. An immediate consequence of this violation was that PIA was denied the business privilege of fixing and repairing foreign aircraft.

Experts have revealed that the EU’s EASA has suspended its certificate with immediate effect and has allowed PIA a 2-month period in which the national airline may appeal against the decision. It was also said that if efforts were not taken to rectify and remedy its mistakes and flaws, the next likely step would be that PIA flights would be banned from landing in Europe altogether.

According to PIA sources, the incompetence and mistakes of the Deputy Managing Director Engineering, Director Engineering, Director Airport Services, Director Flight Operations, Chief Pilot Safety and Director Civil Aviation have all resulted in this humiliation and damage to the credibility of the national airline.

Source: The News

[Abbas Ali]

EASA Part 145

Objective and scope

1. This Regulation establishes common technical requirements and administrative procedures for ensuring the continuing airworthiness of aircraft, including any component for installation thereto, which are:

(a) registered in a Member State; or

(b) registered in a third country and used by an operator for which a Member State
ensures oversight of operations.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to aircraft the regulatory safety oversight of which has
been transferred to a third country and which are not used by a Community operator,
or to aircraft referred to in Annex II to the basic Regulation.

3. The provisions of this Regulation related to commercial air transport are applicable
to licensed air carriers as defined by Community law

Definitions

Within the scope of the basic Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “aircraft” means any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the
reactions of the air other than reactions of the air against the earth’s surface;
(b) “certifying staff” means personnel responsible for the release of an aircraft or a component after maintenance;
(c) “component” means any engine, propeller, part or appliance;
(d) “continuing airworthiness” means all of the processes ensuring that, at any time in
its operating life, the aircraft complies with the airworthiness requirements in force
and is in a condition for safe operation;
(e) “JAA” means “Joint Aviation Authorities”;
(f) “JAR” means “Joint Aviation Requirements”;
(g) “large aircraft” means an aircraft, classified as an aeroplane with a maximum take-off
mass of more than 5700 kg, or a multi-engined helicopter;
(h) “maintenance” means any one or combination of overhaul, repair, inspection,
replacement, modification or defect rectification of an aircraft or component, with
the exception of pre-flight inspection;
(i) “organisation” means a natural person, a legal person or part of a legal person. Such
an organisation may be established at more than one location whether or not within
the territory of the Member States;
(j) “pre-flight inspection” means the inspection carried out before flight to ensure that
the aircraft is fit for the intended flight.

(k) “ELA1 aircraft” means the following European Light Aircraft:
(i) an aeroplane, sailplane or powered sailplane with a Maximum Take-off Mass
(MTOM) less than 1000 kg that is not classified as complex motor-powered aircraft

(ii) a balloon with a maximum design lifting gas or hot air volume of not more than
3400 m3
for hot-air balloons, 1050 m3
for gas balloons, 300 m3
for tethered gas balloons;
(iii) an airship designed for not more than two occupants and a maximum design
lifting gas or hot-air volume of not more than 2500 m3 for hot-air airships and
1000 m3 for gas airships;
(l) “LSA aircraft” means a light sport aeroplane which has all of the following
characteristics:
(i) a Maximum Take-off Mass (MTOM) of not more than 600 kg;
(ii) a maximum stalling speed in the landing configuration (VS0) of not more than
45 knots Calibrated Airspeed (CAS) at the aircraft’s maximum certificated takeoff
mass and most critical centre of gravity;
(iii) a maximum seating capacity of no more than two persons, including the pilot;
(iv) a single, non-turbine engine fitted with a propeller;
(v) a non-pressurised cabin;
(m) “principal place of business” means the head office or the registered office of the
undertaking within which the principal financial functions and operational control
of the activities referred to in this Regulation are exercised.

Continuing airworthiness requirements

1. The continuing airworthiness of aircraft and components shall be ensured in
accordance with the provisions of Annex I.

2. Organisations and personnel involved in the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and
components, including maintenance, shall comply with the provisions of Annex I and
where appropriate those specified in Articles 4 and 5.

3. By derogation from paragraph 1, the continuing airworthiness of aircraft holding a
permit to fly shall be ensured on the basis of the specific continuing airworthiness
arrangements as defined in the permit to fly issued in accordance with the Annex
(Part-21) to Commission Regulation (EC) N°1702/2003.

4. For aircraft not used in commercial air transport, any airworthiness review certificate
or equivalent document issued in accordance with the Member State requirements
and valid on 28 September 2008 shall be valid until its expiration date or until 28
September 2009, whichever comes first. After the expiration of its validity, the competent authority may further re-issue or extend one time the airworthiness review
certificate or equivalent document for one year, if allowed by the Member State
requirements. Upon further expiration, the competent authority may further re-issue
or extend one more time the airworthiness review certificate or equivalent document
for one year, if allowed by the Member State requirements. No further re-issuance or
extension is allowed. If the provisions of this point have been used, when transferring the registration of the aircraft within the EU, a new airworthiness review certificate shall be issued in accordance with M.A.904.

Maintenance organisation approvals

1. Organisations involved in the maintenance of large aircraft or of aircraft used for
commercial air transport, and components intended for fitment thereto, shall be
approved in accordance with the provisions of Annex II.

2. Maintenance approvals issued or recognised by a Member State in accordance with
the JAA requirements and procedures and valid before the entry into force of this
Regulation shall be deemed to have been issued in accordance with this Regulation.
For this purpose, by derogation from the provisions of 145.B.50(2) under Annex II,
level 2 findings associated with the differences between JAR 145 and Annex II may
be closed within one year. Certificates of release to service and authorised release
certificates issued by an organisation approved under JAA requirements during that
one-year period shall be deemed to have been issued under this Regulation.

3. Personnel qualified to carry out and/or control a continued airworthiness nondestructive test of aircraft structures and/or components, on the basis of any standard recognised by a Member State prior to the entry into force of this Regulation
as providing an equivalent level of qualification, may continue to carry out and/or
control such tests.

4. Certificates of release to service and authorised release certificates issued before the
date of entry into force of this Regulation by a maintenance organisation approved
under the Member State requirements shall be deemed equivalent to those required
under points M.A.801 and M.A.802 of Annex I (Part-M) respectively

Source: www.easa.eu.int

[Moin]

Seeing that all they are interested in doing is singing, dancing and chanting political slogans, this is the ultimate consequence and it serves them right.

[Abbas Ali]

Maybe EASA Part 145 approval for PIA has expired and is due to be renewed?

If I remember correctly, PIA was able to get EASA Part 145 approval renewed after every two years since 2004.

Abbas

[saadm80]

This was bound to happen, When the Warnings were given to PIA, as usual We the Pakistanis Linger on things and then Someone Slap us hard then only we realize....

Regarding Pilot's Belonging Scattered in the Cockpit, if this kinda thing would have happened in QA, Al-Bakar would have kicked the Pilot out of the job the very next day..

[Amaad Lone]

The legacy of PPP government 2008-13.

All appointments made on friendship with Mr. Zardari or Mr. Gillani.

Promotions made on personal contacts, not on merit.

Every single government owned organization gone to hell.

The people of Pakistan gone to hell.

Syed Yousaf Reza Gillani and his family members became BILLIONARES.

Why are we suprised that PIA has goooooooooooooooone to the dooooooooooooogs?

[jam2k94]

This is your our view point only. Zardari's Viewpoint is that every thing is fine and nothing is going wrong in country. If someone can remember the interview by GEO's Host Hamid Mir.

[Dr747]

Saab acha hai!

[baberblues]

Not really suprised to be honest, If you dont follow the rules, the consequences are not nice.

[Abbas Ali]

Let's wait and see when EU updates its list of airlines and aircraft banned from entering EU member states' air space.

Maintenance work done on PIA Boeing 777 aircraft also has come under scrutiny at airports of Pakistan and other countries, according to recent news reports.

Abbas

[ConnieMan]

After all this, on a very recent visit of PIA's delegation to Toronto, there MD asked a well known media company's ceo to request there counter part's in Pakistan not to post news about PIA in there Pakistani news papers!.... after reading this thread, i'm not surprised a bit why papers in Pakistan have such a negative impression on PIA....It's there own wrong and careless doings that we see as a result in this form from EU and then recently similar warning was issued from Saudis also. I can see how fast PIA will actually become "History itself!"...

[saadm80]

Here is the Official Notification of Suspension of EASA (145.0004) Approval of PIA, With affect from 6-March-2012

[SalamPaks]

http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/13/pia-face ... ssues.html

PIA faces action over safety issues
KARACHI, March 12: The European Aviation Safety Agency has suspended PIA’s ‘maintenance organisation approval’ for its failure to meet the required standards.

As a result, sources said, the EASA in its meeting to be held in Brussels next week could ban PIA’s European operations.

The PIA has the right to appeal against the decision within two months after paying the prescribed fee.

The sources said the suspension had exposed the performance of the airline’s engineering department and would severely affect its endeavor to get maintenance business from other airlines which planned to carry out their operations in the European Union area.

While informing aviation officials about poor safety standards of the PIA, the European authorities said that its operations would not be suspended if it did not commit any more mistakes by March 12, the source said. But the airline has been caught with at least two flaws well before the date.

A letter sent on March 6 to PIA by the Cologne-based EASA official Wilfried Schluze says: “On Jan 10, 2012, a PIA Boeing 777, registration No:AP-BGJ, was subjected to another Safa inspection in France which led to grounding and subsequent ferry flight to Karachi of the said aircraft. All reported Category 3 findings of this inspection were related to maintenance issues like undetected aircraft damage and repairs performed not in accordance of approved data.

“On Feb 20, 2012, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority presented during a hearing in front of the EU Commission in Brussels that several management positions within PIA had been reassigned in the course of 2011. Among these management changes also the chief engineer, quality assurance, has been replaced. EASA was not informed about these changes by the PIA. According to EASA records (Form 4) the position of chief engineer, quality assurance, has not changed since 2010.

“EASA has reasonable grounds to classify the current situation as a potential threat.

“As a result EASA finds that the mitigating measures put into place in May 2010 to monitor the continuation of the PIA Part 145 approval can no longer be relied on. This is underlined by further non-compliance of PIA as shown above. Ineffectiveness of monitoring by the CAA in combination with an inefficient PIA quality assurance system where there is also uncertainty about the key responsible persons is classified as a potential safety threat because such a system is unable to identify non-compliances and potential safety hazards and, therefore, cannot ensure that procedures used by PIA invoke good maintenance practices and airworthy aircraft / components.Pursuant to Article 20(2)(c) of Regulation (EC) No:216/2008 in conjunction with Paragraphs 145.B.45(a) of Annex II (Part-145) to Regulation 2042/2003, approval No: EASA.145.0004 will, therefore, be suspended.”

[Hamad]

This is your our view point only. Zardari's Viewpoint is that every thing is fine and nothing is going wrong in country. If someone can remember the interview by GEO's Host Hamid Mir.

Yes Hamid Mir: Pak Railway is in bad condition - Zardari: Abka Nazar - Hamid Mir: PIA is in bad condition - Zardari: Abka Nazar, etc.

If now EU bans PIA from flying to/from the EU the small amount of passengers who travelled former with PIA will then also take one of the Middle East Carrier.

[Abbas Ali]

When contacted, a PIA spokesman Tahir Khalique rejected the reports of decertification, saying the airline had not received any letter on the subject, as only a verbal warning was issued to the CAA.

The EU warning was motivated the PIA’s plan to purchase B-777 from the Boeing Company, while the EU-based Airbus wanted to pressurise the airline through EU to consider its aircraft as well, he added

Source: The Nation

A pathetic and lame excuse made by PIA spokesman to hide his airline's own incompetency and inefficiency.

Abbas