PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines Tells Obese Cabin Crew Trim Weight Or Get Sucked

Currently, flight attendants, who are 13.6 kgs over are still eligible for flight duty.

Pakistan’s flag carrier PIA has asked some of its cabin crew with “excess weight” to shed some kilos within six months or risk being grounded, in a bid to make them “slim, smart and fit”, a media report said.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also issued a suggested weight chart for differing height and body types.

Those already “on weight check” need to report monthly to a “grooming cell” to receive clearance to fly, it said.

The carrier’s general manager of flight services Aamir Bashir issued an order on the first day of 2019, saying official excess weight limits would be cut back by five pounds (2.26 kgs) a month, the report said.

In a memo distributed to approximately 1,800 cabin crew, PIA said they must trim down or face being grounded, the report said.

The airline said it is cracking down on what it terms the “excess weight” of some of its cabin crew.

Currently, flight attendants, who are 13.6 kgs over are still eligible for flight duty, the report said.

According to the airline’s weight chart, for a “medium-frame” woman of 5 feet 7 inches height, for example, the guide is 60-66 kgs.

“Weight check of all the cabin crew will be carried out at their base stations respectively and comprehensive data will be maintained for perusal of management,” the news report quoted the memo as saying.

Around 100 more than five per cent of the crew would need to lose weight by July 1 to avoid grounding, Mashhood Tajwar, a PIA spokesman was quoted as saying in the report.

He described the crackdown on overweight flight crew as a “regular, routine matter,” and suggested that the memo was issued as standards for weight had lapsed over time.

It was issued to ensure that the flight attendants were “slim, smart and fit”, Tajwar said.

No one would like to have shabby crew in the aircraft, he said, adding that PIA had received complaints about “obese” flight attendants.

Tajwar said the initiative was put in place for reasons of appearance and health, and insisted that PIA was not alone in insisting their cabin crews hit weight targets, the report added.

PIA has been in losses for years but successive governments have failed to improve its financial situation.

Its accumulated losses surged to Rs360 billion (Dh9.49 billion) by the end of June last year, which, according to the finance ministry, speaks volumes about the persistently deteriorating performance of the carrier.


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PAKISTAN: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Moves 85 Flight Attendants From Karachi To Islamabad

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), transferred 85 flight attendants from Karachi to Islamabad.

PIA administration, in a notification, directed concerned stewards and stewardesses to report to Base In-charge Flight Services in Islamabad for further assignment of duties within six days following the recent transfers.

The notification stated that special allowances will be given to the flight attendants for transportation as married officials will get a one-month allowance and unmarried personnel will be provided 15 days allowance besides provision of free air passage including their families, if married.

For the transportation of baggage, married officials can carry up to 273 kilograms while unmarried attendants can take away 182 kilograms if travelling by air.

The officials will be allowed to take 1119 kilograms baggage if travelling through surface transportation while unmarried personnel will be allowed to carry up to 746 kilograms.

On April 15, the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) had decided to launch action against facilitators of crew members deployed abroad in contravention of stipulated rules.


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UAE: Dubai Court Sentences Passenger, PIA Suspends Flights To Kuwait And Salalah

Dubai’s Criminal Court has sentenced an Australian transit passenger to six months in prison plus deportation after he was convicted of assaulting a Dubai airport policeman.

The ruling was passed on January 28 after the court heard how the 53-year-old Australian man was transiting from London to Sydney via Dubai on July 25, 2017, according to local media.

A technical issue delayed the flight, resulting in passengers being deboarded after four hours waiting on the plane, which was due to take off at 8.30am.

Passengers were offered a hotel stay near Dubai International Airport.

When requested to have his luggage searched by customs inspectors, the man refused to place his luggage in the scanning device and became angry.

The airport police were called who tried to convince the defendant to have his bags searched.

He repeatedly refused and shouted at an Emirati corporal, claiming he had been on a long flight.

This prompted a request from customs officials for the policeman to handcuff him.

The man violently resisted and the two men fell to the floor, leading to knee and ankle injuries for the policeman.

Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines, the national flag carrier, will halt flights to Kuwait from February 1, officials said on Thursday.

It is pertinent to mention here that the airline had been incurring an annual loss due to its flight operations to the US, prompting the management to stop flights.

According to the official sources, the airline will no longer book flights for Kuwait through its reservation system from February 1.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is cancelling Salalah – Karachi and Muscat – Lahore flights from February 1, 2018, a senior official from PIA said.

Shahzad Paracha, country manager of PIA Oman, however, said: “We were forced to cancel some flights because of the shortage of aircraft.

But, we are hoping that we will soon able to restore these flights.”

PIA operates three times a week to Karachi from Salalah and two flights a week to Lahore from Muscat.


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Pakistan International Airlines Sacks Steward For Smuggling Mobile Phones From UK

The management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday terminated the service of a flight steward who was caught by United Kingdom authorities at the Heathrow airport while trying to smuggle mobile phones through a PIA flight on Monday afternoon.

According to a PIA’s press release, flight steward Khurrum Shehzad was caught at the airport while he was boarding the flight PK 786 for Islamabad.

Sources said that Khurrum was arrested by UK authorities at the airport and after an overnight investigation he was released on Tuesday noon.

Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Aamir Memon said that the flight steward was on duty. During checking at the airport three mobile phones were found in his possession.

One of the mobile phones was allegedly a stolen one.

He said PIA had zero tolerance for corruption and illegal activities.

To a question if UK authorities would take any action against PIA in this regard, he said PIA had already informed UK authorities that it did not support illegal acts of its employees and such acts were an individual’s responsibility.

PIA had taken stern action against its employees whenever they were found involved in illegal activities, the spokesperson added.

The sources said that this was not the first time that PIA staffers had been caught for smuggling of electronics items, particularly mobile phones in foreign countries.

UAE: Narcotics Recovered On Pakinstan International Airline Bound For Dubai

Narcotics were discovered on a Dubai-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft on Wednesday after the aircraft was instructed to land at Jinnah International Airport.

According to Customs officials, they had received prior information regarding the attempt to smuggle the narcotics aboard PIA flight PK-221.

The aircraft, enroute to Dubai from Lahore. was instructed to land at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

Custom officials searched the planed with the aid of sniffer dogs, and discovered 3.1 kilograms heroin concealed in one of the bathrooms. The narcotics were hidden behind the panel sheets.

It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first attempt to smuggle illegal drugs using similar means. The authorities are aware of the method used by the smugglers but have yet to make any arrests.

The narcotics were confiscated by Customs and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials at Karachi airport. An investigation into the incident has been initiated.

Earlier in September, Dawn reported that the management of PIA terminated the service of a flight steward who was caught by United Kingdom authorities at Heathrow airport while trying to smuggle mobile phones through a PIA flight.

PIA crew members have also been arrested in the past for attempting to smuggle narcotics on flights bound for international destinations.

PAKISTAN: Pilot Allowed Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Reham To Sit In Cockpit, Faces Probe

The Pakistan International Airlines has initiated an inquiry against its pilot for allowing Reham Khan, ex-wife of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, to sit in the cockpit during her journey to Lahore from London.

“According to initial probe, it has been found that Reham Khan visited the cockpit for a few minutes during flight PK-788 London-Lahore on Thursday,” PIA spokesman Danial Gilani told Dawn. According to the pilot’s statement to the administration, he had ‘entertained’ the request of Reham Khan to sit in the cockpit.

Mr Gilani also confirmed that Ms Reham had expressed her desire to sit in the cockpit, which the pilot could not turn down. “Although it appears a courtesy on the part of the pilot, the PIA cannot ignore the rules,” Mr Gilani said, adding that under the law, unauthorised persons were not allowed into the cockpit.

“The responsibility lies with the pilot not to allow anyone be it a celebrity or anyone else to sit in the cockpit,” he said. “This is against the law and a safety hazard.”

“The PIA management has initiated an inquiry into the matter. It will take appropriate disciplinary action against the pilot in light of the inquiry’s findings,” the spokesman said.

PIA had to launch a formal inquiry after pictures of Reham’s sitting in the cockpit were uploaded on social media. “It was very difficult for the PIA management to ignore this matter after her pictures appeared on social media. All the guns would have been towards the PIA had it not taken action in this regard,” he said.

Interestingly, the PIA officials also accorded Reham Khan a warm welcome at the Lahore airport. Danial Gilani, however, said if someone in PIA had warmly received her at the airport in his or her individual capacity, the management did not mind.

Reham Khan could not be reached for her version despite repeated attempts.