LAHORE: The authorities found on Friday the missing wheel of the 18 -year -old PIA plane that landed in Lahore a couple of days ago, raising serious questions about the national flag carrier capacity to guarantee the proper maintenance of its fleet before flying.
In a rare incident of this type, the national PIA PK-306 flight left Karachi to Lahore on Wednesday night, but when he arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, it turned out that one of the six rear wheels of the plane was missing. However, it landed safely without damage to passengers and crew.
A follow -up inspection of the flight captain after landing revealed that one of the six -wheeled sets was missing on the main (rear) landing train.
According to the standard practice, the matter was assumed by flight safety equipment and the PIA Air Safety Research Office for thorough investigation. Reports have not yet been submitted.
The episode raises concern about the maintenance of the fleet
“The missing PK-306 wheel has been successfully located. The wheel was found near the remote parking bay of Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, adjacent to Hangar Ispahani, ”said a spokesman for the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) on Friday.
“The airport wheel store technicians discovered the tire next to the landing train of a Boeing 777 on land,” he said and added that the incident was being investigated by the relevant authorities.
An official source said Sunrise that there was the possibility that the wheel of the A320 plane could have been evicted during takeoff, falling on the isphani’s hanger.
“If the inspection required by the aircraft engineering team has been carried out properly, the plane may not be clear for the game,” he said that, although it seems to be a serious negligence by the department of PIA in question, a wheel that falls during takeoff was not unusual. Some airlines from foreign airlines have also experienced such episodes, he said.
The source also said that A320 had the ability to transport 180 passengers and on Wednesday flight PK-306 about 104 passengers were on board. He said that the plane was 18 and currently the PIA has 31 aircraft: 16 A320, 12 Boeing 777 and three ATR, in its fleet.
It is the responsibility of the PIA Management to guarantee the maintenance of all airplanes in its fleet. The Government, earlier this month, had announced that it would complete all the necessary steps to privatize Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (Piacl) within three months.
“The Government has approached all the concerns of the interested parties in buying the national flag operator and decided to make changes according to their preferences. A new road map is being developed to make PIA more attractive for possible buyers, and all stages of this process are expected to be completed within three months, ”said the government.
Posted in Dawn, March 15, 2025
