Lack of Boeing 777 features do not undermine security: PIA official

LAHORE: PIA’s recently acquired Boeing 777 lacks certain key features otherwise made mandatory by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, which undermines security of the aircraft and the revenue generated through it.
The national flag carrier recently acquired two Boeing 777 on dry lease option while one with registration number AP BMG has been delivered and another one AP BMH to join the PIA soon.
The rather hasty acquisition of Boeing 777-200 ER from the Vietnam Airlines that have many essential items and safety measures missing compared to the similar fleet that Pakistan International Airlines is operating, is being questioned by experts and in PIA cadres as well.
In a letter No: FLT OPS/TECH/51 dated November 17, 2015, PIA Flight Operation Department communicated to the crew about these shortcomings in the aircraft. The reasons as to why the aircraft were accepted when some of the missing features make it non-compliant with the Civil Aviation requirement of Pakistan were not explained in the letter.
The letter points out absence of surveillance cameras with display in cockpit. This feature is crucial for ensuring safety of passengers, as through these cameras the crew keeps an eye on any suspicious movement of any passenger.
The Civil Aviation Authority, they added, has made it mandatory to install these cameras. The letter states that a waiver in this regard has been obtained from PCAA. Experts regret that such waiver has been granted by the authority which could be a source of embarrassment for both PIA and CAA if an aircraft is inspected abroad.
The factor which directly affects the revenue management of this aircraft is that the takeoff gross weight is 297556 for this Boeing 777 AP-BMG whereas PIAC fleet is operating with 273969.
The flight planning will be done on 273969 for the interim period, till the flight planning is received from Boeing for 297556. How long it would take to receive flight planning from the manufacturer is a question mark. They said PIA will be losing millions in revenues, as it would be taking less cargo till the flight planning is received.
Another missing feature is that the aircraft lacks on the board performance tool. The Flight Operation Department has, however, promised that OPT would be given to the crew on their iPad. The department further pointed out that those crew members that do not have iPad will be provided hard copies which are available in the aircraft. Experts question this lack of professionalism by PIA that is taking such an important flying input so lightly.
The letter further points out that these models do not have EFB Class 3. It states that PIAC is endeavoring to install EFB class 2. An electronic flight bag (EFB) is an electronic information management device that helps flight crews perform flight management tasks more easily and efficiently with less paper. It is a general purpose computing platform intended to reduce, or replace, paper-based reference material often found in the pilot’s carry-on flight bag, including the aircraft operating manual, flight-crew operating manual, and navigational charts (including moving map for air and ground operations). In addition, the EFB can host purpose-built software applications to automate other functions normally conducted by hand, such as performance take-off calculations. The letter states that Insha Allah in due course of time it will be installed but the timeframe has not been given.
PIA Public Affairs General Manager Danyal Gilani, commenting on the issue, said every aircraft before being acquired is checked and approved by PIA engineering department. The features in question, he said, are not a part of core flight operations and therefore do not undermine the aircraft’s security or flight operations. He mentioned that these features can be added to the aircraft at will, later.