PIA: on a wing and a prayer

[Black Zero]

Source

RAWALPINDI: In an effort to seek divine intervention to keep a flight safe and secure, staff of the Pakistan International Airlines sacrificed a black goat for ‘sadqa’ near an ATR-42 aircraft after it was given clearance for take-off from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Sunday.

Later the plane left for Multan, making it the first ATR-42 aircraft to be pressed into service since the start of shakedown tests on all such aircraft in the wake of an air crash near Havelian on Dec 7.

According to a spokesman for the national flag carrier, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had decided to ground the ATR-42 fleet until all its aircraft had been subjected to the shakedown tests and cleared for flight operations.

The grounding of the ATR fleet had badly affected the PIA’s flights to and from cities and towns like Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, Moenjodaro, Zhob, Bahawalpur, D.G. Khan, Chitral and Gilgit.

The people wishing to board flights in these cities and towns had been advised to check status of their flights from the PIA Call Centre, at 111-786-786, before leaving for the airports.

The process for carrying out the shakedown tests of the ATR aircraft is still continuing, according to a source.

The CAA staff and personnel of the PIA’s quality control department are taking part in the process under which each of the aircraft will be examined thoroughly.

According to the PIA spokesman, an aircraft will remain grounded until it is examined properly.

He said that after it was cleared for take-off, an ATR-42 aircraft (PK-681) left Islamabad for Multan at 6.40pm and returned to the capital on its scheduled time of 9.45pm.

Also on Sunday, the airline operated four flights of C-130 aircraft, obtained from the Pakistan Air Force, for Gilgit and Chitral from the Benazir Bhutto International airport.

Published in Dawn December 19th, 2016

Someone commented "RIP Science"

 

[Pakpak]

Source

View attachment 71644



Someone commented "RIP Science"

Absolutely ridiculous breach of professional ethics.

 

[Black Zero]

Absolutely ridiculous breach of professional ethics.

Yes
on side note, they were able to find perfect black bakra.

 

[Pakistanian]

We're such a backward country mired in superstitions, all of this makes me so angry!

 

[sjahmed23]

PIA has developed a new travel class, the sadqa class

 

[world cup captain]

) )

What's wrong with people?

 

[JaDed]

Some hilarious comments on the article :

Perhaps PIA should introduce "goat sadqa tax" incorporated in the fare. This will raise the airfare but at least we will arrive our destination safe

Pakistan International Airlines - a national journey from aircrafts to witchcrafts.

PIA gives new meaning to 'on a Wing and a Prayer.'

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Poor goat.

 

[LordJames]

Everyone associated with this stupidity should be immediately fired!

This is not Islam (before anyone even thinks that), this is stupid witchcraft and ignorance

 

[dhump]

Seems like Pakistan is surviving on sacrifice of poor animals.

Some birds are saving the democracy and poor goats are giving their lifes to safe PIA from crashing.

Pathetic to say the least.

 

[kingusama92]

You can't make this stuff up.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

For the love of...........

 

[waqar goraya]

The editorial today was even better

Goat to the rescue

IT was not a sight to inspire confidence in either man or beast. But to some in our national airline, perhaps cold, hard science is no substitute for good old-fashioned superstition.

Thus it was that a struggling black goat was held down on the tarmac and sacrificed at the foot of an ATR-42 after the aircraft was cleared to take off from the Islamabad airport on Sunday. The plane later left for Multan, the first ATR-42 to be pressed into service after the crash of PK661 on Dec 7.

The aircraft operating that ill-fated flight was also an ATR-42, after which the entire fleet of PIA’s twin-engine turboprops was grounded so it could be put through shakedown tests to check for airworthiness. No doubt PIA thought that passengers on the flight to Multan heaved a sigh of relief: after all, they had witnessed with their very own eyes the ultimate assurance against disaster.

PIA has come in for some vociferous criticism in the wake of the PK661 crash. Aside from the inevitable human tragedy, the disaster once again highlighted the problems that have for long bedevilled our national flag carrier.

PIA’s spotty record in terms of service, punctuality and safety has also been the butt of much humour, and the sacrificial goat will certainly provide rich pickings for many a wit, with some asking — rightly so — for black sheep in PIA to be sacrificed instead.

However, it is disheartening to see that an airline already suffering unrelentingly negative press internationally could proceed to shoot itself in the foot in such a spectacular manner. Superstitious rituals have no place in a field where technological excellence is the key to success.

That is not to say, of course, that passengers are foolish to seek solace in prayer when they fly, but when an airline itself resorts to animal sacrifice as the aircraft is about to take to the air, it is enough to strike terror into the hearts of potential passengers.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1303290/goat-to-the-rescue

 

[Major]

PCB could learn something from PIA.

We could had done a similar thing at the Gabba wicket on Day 5.

 

[msb314]

hahahahha

I don't know whether to laugh or cry anymore.

Kya hogaya hai hamari qaum ko??