Downfall of Pakistan International Airline

[hoistop]

Originally Posted by sajjadahmad

Further, 98% of PIA Aircraft Engineers are Not Graduate Engineers. They are Apprentice Mechanics who got certifications through technical courses and recognized by Civil Aviation as aircraft engineers.

Just to let you know. Within EU, EASA regulations allow that anyone (yes, anyone) can get PART-66 B1 maintenance licence for large jet airplanes by:
-passing prescribed exams/modules (13 for B1.1 - jet airplanes)
-proving 5 years work experience in appropriate airplane maintenance.
That is enough to get "empty" Part-66 licence.

To endorse a type (a must), one need to complete Type rating (theory and practice) that normally takes 4 weeks theory and 2 weeks practical, and for first type rating, additional On Job Training, that is not prescribed in time but in number and variety of tasks (to be done on actual aircraft in real maintenance) This takes at least 6 weeks to complete, mostly more than that (could take months). So, EASA never asks for formal education, nor formal classroom training. Just pass the exams and you are done.

So, not only in Pakistan, all over Europe licensed engineers are actually (former) apprentices/fitters with sufficient experience and self-studying their way thru exams.
EASA finally recognized a problem, and in a few years, a thorough practical assessment/exam will be required for those who did not take full 2400h course (that means almost everybody) How this will work out and if it will help in any way, remains to be seen.

All maintenance training organizations, providing above, must have full courses available (for B1, it takes minimum 2400 hours (cca 2 years) full time theory and practical training - but there is no demand for this, as almost everybody today follows the simplest route, described above. Including licenced engineers, working for biggest legacy EU carriers.
So far, so good, but it is obviously on maintenance companies to weed-out those that have a licence, but have not much clue about.
FAA A&P is even much simpler system.