 KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is understood to have effectively conveyed to both the European Union and the UK air-safety authorities that it is willing to replace its Boeing 737s with the latest European aircraft for EU and UK destinations, according to well-placed airline and government sources.
| As Orrin Judd notes, "Now we'll never know whether they just blew up because they're defective or were exploded by terrorists." |
The sources told Daily Times that PIA had told the EU and UK authorities that most of the Boeing 737s (PIA has a fleet of seven) could be replaced with European-made aircraft – also known as airbuses – and the process for this purpose could begin as early as July.
Asked how this message was conveyed to the EU and UK authorities, the sources said that this communication had taken place through “informal” channels – indicating that lobbyists of European products in Pakistan, Brussels and London had been used as a conduit.
Asked if the EU safety committee had asked PIA to replace its old aircraft with those made in Europe, they said that such messages were never delivered formally. “As they say actions speak louder than words, the EU in particular had been effectively sending message since the news about a looming ban on the PIA fleet broke out last month,” they said. They said that PIA had decided to buy airbuses to use as a bargaining chip to minimise the impact of pressure in the form of “temporary restrictions” on its fleet.
| They must have been talking with the French. |
Asked if PIA would replace all seven Boeing 737s, the sources would only say that such a move could affect the country’s relations with the manufacturers of Boeings and US government. “Therefore there is a need to strike a delicate balance.” They said that a lot of official procedural formalities would need to be put in place before any order to purchase airbuses could be formally put forward. |