Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) instructed its pilots and flight crew not to fast during Ramzan, the holy month. Medical professionals made this decision, advising that fasting can cause effects such as dehydration, lethargy, and sleep-related problems. PIA’s Safety Management System and Aeromedical Center suggest this recommendation to the aviators and cabin crew: They are prohibited from fasting when at work.
This decision comes during the aircraft investigation board’s investigation into a PIA Airbus crash at Karachi airport, which revealed many human factors behind the crash. Despite the pilots’ efforts to provide a safe landing, a lack of sound judgment by the pilots was pointed out as the major causative factor.
This report revealed that no rules or regulations were spelt out for pilots to fast during Ramadan while on duty, with the airline and the civil aviation authority as the responsible parties. As such, PIA management has pointed out in the implementation manual that any pilot or flight attendant who observes fasting will not be allowed to board the flight.
This week, we will report on the latest decision of Shehbaz Sharif, the newly minted Prime Minister of Pakistan, who has decided to privatize PIA no later than June 15th. This decision was made in the wake of the organization’s financial woes; as per 2022 stats, the organization is the third largest loss-making public sector entity in Pakistan. The airline has to allocate a significant sum for servicing every month.
PIA instructs pilots and the cabin crew to focus on the passengers’ comfort on flights as the latter are of the utmost priority during flights. The medical advice lists fasting as a danger when on duty; they are dehydration, laziness and insomnia problems. Through this implementation, PIA ensures that staff performance and promptness levels are optimal.
