by B. R. GOWANI
began as Orient Airways …
it became Pakistan International Airlines in 1955
in 1984 PIA helped UAE to start Emirates,
that is now the world’s 4th largest airline
where does PIA stand today, after 76 years of its existence?
same like its country, i.e., Pakistan – absolutely fucked up
PIA is one of the top 10 most dangerous airlines in the world
in 2020, Pakistan announced 262 active pilots had fake licenses
that is, more than 30% of PIA’s total active pilot force of 860
the European Union, US, and UK banned PIA for safety reasons
services to many destinations …
have been terminated for various reasons
Emirates, especially, & other Gulf airlines
are profiting at PIA’s expense …
a senior PIA official told AIN:
“PIA is sitting on a goldmine of a market where 8.5 million [Pakistani] expatriates are living all over the world, and the number is still [growing].” “Emirates in particular and other Gulf carriers generally are taking these passengers at their own will.”
the fault lies with the government of Pakistan
“When PIA raised the issue with the government, the response was that it didn’t have sufficient equipment to cater to this traffic.” “To put things into perspective, Emirates is operating up to seven Boeing 777s daily from Karachi, and, as a result, is the airline of first choice for most of the international traffic. Many of us at PIA think [this] is the root cause of all major problems [at the airline].”
Pakistan should at least, ask Emirates
to accept its airline fare in Pakistani rupees
this could save the government a lot foreign exchange in dollars
US prohibition on PIA to fly direct to US destinations also hurts PIA
for PIA officials, these problems seem unimportant,
nothing to worry about …
their focus instead is on minor details –
not on these major problems that are affecting profits
so PIA’s Aamir Bashir went after panties, bras, & other undergarments
Aamir Bashir is the general manager of flight services for PIA
9/26/2022:
Bashir issued a memo to all cabin crew who dress “casually”
when visiting offices, traveling intercity, and staying in hotels
stating people who notice them are left with a “poor impression”
and it creates a “negative image” of the person and of PIA
so cabin crew must be appropriately attired in “plain clothes”
beneath those clothes must be worn “proper undergarments”
the clothes should be in tune with “cultural and national morals”
the memo also states that several officers are required …
to keep an eye on all cabin crew, at all times
and are expected to …
“report any deviation” through emails & flight logs
the flight attendants who disobeyed these orders
would be subjected to strict action …
responding to widespread criticism,
PIA’s human resources officer issued a retraction:
“Despite the fact that the spirit behind the advisory was to ensure proper dress code, however, the standard bulletin, inadvertently, came out with an inappropriate selection of words.”
“I personally feel regretful and am convinced that the words could have been more civilised and appropriate in this context instead of the words published which unfortunately are being trolled and twisted towards the defamation of the company in the media (electronic and social) rather than its actual essence.”
Bashir didn’t elaborate as to …
who noticed the improper clothing sans underclothes
is it Bashir himself
or his conservative colleagues,
or the public,
or the clerics who have a problem?
whoever they are, whether himself or others,
it’s better to look elsewhere …
1/3rd of Pakistan is under water right now;
millions are without shelter, food, clothing, or medicine …
Bashir & colleagues should concentrate
on critical airline’s safety issues, instead
they should ignore irrelevant people and clerics,
if indeed they were involved in this nonsense …
anything without under-wear is to be appreciated in an esthetic manner
less clothes = less use of detergent chemicals & less harm to environment
the “few cabin crew” should become role models for other to follow
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com