And these are the people Britain and Germany are importing to provide the next generation of high-technology workers:
Faced with widespread safety concerns, most airlines order shake downs, inspections, and enhanced monitoring. Pakistan International Airlines however had an additional safety measure: the sacrifice of a goat to ward off bad luck. The pictures on social media show smiling airline officials as they practice the barbaric superstition. It appears that some airlines have carry on policies while others have carrion policies.
A Pakistan International Airlines turboprop plane slammed into a mountain this month, killing all 47 people on board. The sacrifice was confirmed by PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani after PIA grounded its 10 remaining ATR planes.
Referencing the Islamic tradition of animal sacrifice, a spokesman simply noted “It was done by some local employees as a gesture of gratitude over the clearance of the first ATR [for flying].”
The animal slaughter, which took place on Sunday at Islamabad airport and was captured in a photograph which went viral, was met with derision by many social media users — who said the carrier was forgoing safety standards in favour of superstition.
“This is no joke: #Pakistan invents a new safety measure for its crashing air carrier #PIA,” tweeted user Asim Yousafzai.
Another user Rahoon Rashid said: “(Black goats) don’t keep the planes up and flying, efficiency does”. Leading newspaper Dawn ran a front-page story on Monday headlined “PIA: on a wing and a prayer”.
The sacrifice was confirmed by PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani, who said it was a “gesture of gratitude” by some employees before the resumption of flights of the airline’s ATR fleet. It was not sanctioned by management, Gilani said.
PIA grounded its 10 remaining ATR planes in the wake of the disaster pending detailed inspections.
The mind boggles.
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