NAME: Pakistan International Airlines

AGE: Almost as old as the country itself

NATIONALITY: Pakistani

CLAIM TO FAME: Third worst airline in the world

EVERYONE knew about it, but no one really bothered to reveal the hard-hitting facts until Airguide Spring 2003, in an online survey, asked customers to rate the services provided by various airlines. The criteria for rating included availability, punctuality, meals, check-in and check-out, hospitality and comfort during flight. It was then that PIA achieved the distinction of being rated the third worst airline. The survey, although limited by the number of its participants, does reflect the steady decline of standards maintained by the national flag carrier.

The evaluation seems contrary to the alleged efforts made by the PIA administration in the past to improve their standards. These include the purchase of eight Boeing-777 aircrafts and the decision to install electronic flag bags (EFB). This facility provides documentation carried by the pilot-aeronautical charts, manuals for fault reporting and operation, minimum equipment lists and logbooks in a digital format, to make them more readily accessible to the pilots for better flying.

A sum of about $1.16 million is spent annually by the PIA on security systems to maintain bullet-proof cockpit doors and surveillance cameras in some jets. However, despite the measures taken to prevent possible acts of terrorism, the Civil Aviation Authority has declared the life-saving equipment in many of PIA jets, specially in the A-310s, as obsolete. A decision was also taken earlier this month to introduce Economy Plus, to provide better services to passengers.

In April of this year, the chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, Chaudry Ahmed Saeed, declared that PIA will soon be at par with top international airlines. He also projected a profit of Rs4 billion by the end of this year. Finance minister, Shaukat Aziz, also expressed his satisfaction with PIA’s performance, as it showed a profit of Rs2.1 billion in 2003. He did instruct PIA to change its image, though.

To deal with the grim post-9/11 situation that faced the airline industry, the government of Pakistan has been injecting money into the PIA Corporation. A hefty sum of Rs5.1 billion was the latest contribution made in this regard. In addition to this, PIA managed to procure Rs6.1 billion from the banking sector this month. But the fact remains that there are other areas that the airline top-brass need to concentrate on to raise the service standards of the airline to the levels it once enjoyed during its formative years.

Perhaps reorganizing the priorities on its spending list might help PIA to achieve them. A few well-managed aircrafts, instead of many mismanaged ones, will probably project a better image of the airline as well.