KARACHI: Disciplinary action has been initiated and show cause notices have been issued to at least three employees of the Pakistan International Airlines in the wake of reports that a PIA plane carried more passengers than its capacity from Karachi to Madina on Jan 20, it is learnt here reliably.

Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said that a thorough probe had been ordered and disciplinary proceedings initiated agai­nst the officials concerned.

According to sources, PIA’s human resources department has issued show cause notices to the pilot of the flight PK-743 Capt Anwer Adil, senior purser Hina Turab and Amjad Shah from the ground staffers of the airline. They have been directed to respond in seven days and till that time the captain and the purser would remain grounded.

The sources said the action had been initiated on a report prepared by the PIA’s management informa­tion system department’s Sohail Jaffer Ali (Manager OPS) that was submitted to the coordinator of chairman, among other senior PIA officials.

The report titled “passengers accepted over and above aircraft configuration on the flight” says that: “During course of system monitoring of PK 743 dated Jan 20, 2017 (Karachi-Madina) it was found that 07 non revenue passengers were accepted on the flight over and above aircraft configuration which is a clear cut violation of the SOP.”

Findings of the report among other things mention that: “It is to be noted that total 409 seats, including jump seats, are available in the aircraft (Annexure – H). As per revenue accounting record of the above flight total number of passenger flight coupons landed in the revenue accounting system are 416 (Annexure - I).”

The conclusion of the report says: “After in depth investigation / record available with the PIA and from statements of the purser, terminal manager (verbally), flight supervisor and system controller, it has been confirmed that passengers travelled on flight are over and above the aircraft configuration (including jump seats) which is a clear cut violation of SOP and a violation of passenger safety. As per SOP on the subject, aircraft should be parked again to offload over and above passengers, which was not done in this case. Such type of violation irregularity cannot be ignored in which safety of passengers is on stake.”

The PIA spokesperson says that: “The matter pertaining to the travel of more passengers than the booked load on PK 743 on Jan 20 was under investigation.

The airlines CEO has ordered a thorough probe into it and all concerned were being questioned. Strict action would be taken against anyone found at fault.”

However, he claimed that reports about the travel of extra passengers in the PIA flight had exaggerated the actual situation. It was not possible for anyone to travel in a plane while standing all the time regardless of the duration, he added.

The sources said that the excess passengers during the takeoff and landing were briefly accommodated on seats being occupied by the children. They said the children were asked to sit with their parents, and for the rest of the time they stood quietly in the alleys, sat in bathrooms till some passengers wanted to use the facilities, and also briefly sat on the jump seats that were vacated by the cabin crew (air hostesses, stewards) when they served the food to passengers.

The sources said the aircraft was not brought back to the terminal despite carrying excess passengers as the pilot did not want to dump the fuel to avoid loss to the airline.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017