Seminars in MarketingBhoja Air Flight 213 Crash: Onset of Critical Stage

Submitted to Noor ul Mohsin Shah

Submitted by Iqra Butt MB2E-12-15

Nuzhat Batool MB2E-12-a9

Sundas Munir MB2E-12-22

Anum Fayaz MB2E-12-23

Rashda Kamal MB2E-12-31

Bhoja Air Flight 213 Crash: Onset of Critical Stage

On 20th April 2012, it was the inaugural flight of Bhoja Air's second daily service flying

from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, to Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad.

Bhoja Air Flight 213 (B4-213) was a domestic scheduled passenger flight carrying 121

passengers and 6 crew members. The flight departed from Karachi at 05:00 PM and was due to

land at Islamabad at 06:50 PM. The weather conditions were not favorable. The co-pilot of the

air craft kept telling pilot Noorullah Afridi to “go round” and “pull”, but the pilot tried landing

the air craft even in heavy rain and a thunderstorm. At 06:40 PM, as the pilot tried to land the air

craft, it got caught in a “downdraft” and the aircraft crashed 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) short of its

destination, near the village of Hussainabad, Rawalpindi within 30-40 seconds. The air craft

caught fire after it crashed.

Bhoja Airlines

Bhoja Air (Bhoja Airlines (Pvt) Ltd) is an airline based in Pakistan Employees Cooperative

Housing Society (PECHS) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It operates a small domestic scheduled

network. On 7th November 1993, Bhoja Air started its operations on domestic routes

between Karachi, Lahore and Quetta with a dry leased Boeing 737-200. It was registered in

Pakistan making Bhoja the first private airline in the country to operate a Western manufactured

aircraft. Bhoja Air is a privately owned airline of the Bhoja Group of Companies with its head

office at Shahrah–e-Liaquat, Karachi and corporate offices at KDA Scheme No 1.

On 24 January 1998, Bhoja Air commenced international flights from Karachi to Dubai. Later,

Bhoja Air operated flights to the U.A.E from all major cities of Pakistan. However due to

financial difficulties, Bhoja Air suspended its operations in 2000, although its airline license

issued by CAA – Pakistan remained valid and it maintained a fully functional headquarters office

in Karachi and a flight ops and ramp office at Karachi Jinnah International.

M. Farouk Omar Bhoja is the non-executive Chairman of the airline and has a 5% shareholding

in the entity; Zeeshan M. Karimi and Mazahir Hassan hold 7.5% each; and the remaining

controlling interest is held by Arshad Jalil and his family.

Bhoja airline was re-launched in 2011 and its inaugural flight was on 6 March 2012 . Bhoja Air

has again indefinitely suspended operations since 29 May 2012 on orders by CAA for not

meeting criteria of minimum three operational aircraft in their fleet. According to Pakistani law

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any airline must have at least three air crafts in operation. At that time Bhoja were only operating

one Boeing 737-200 with a 737-400 stored at Karachi airport, this aircraft has since been

controversially transferred to Shaheen Air and repainted in their livery.

Ball of fire in the sky

 A violent thunderstorm was lashing the capital at the time of the crash. At 06:40 PM, air craft

lost height. The air craft was flying at a height of 200 feet (60m) three minutes before it crashed,

while it should have been at 1,500 to 1,700 feet (around 500m) above the ground. It was flying

too low and at a very high speed of 300 miles an hour (483 kmph). The pilot informed the central

aviation officials; he lost control over the aircraft but soon lost contact with the Air Traffic

Control (ATC) tower. The air craft caught fire in mid-air. The air craft looked like a fire ball

descending onto the earth like a meteor. The aircraft hit the ground and bounced off before

crashing, it was totally destroyed. There was no chance of any survivors. All 127 people on

board had been killed.

Reasons of the Air Crash

Old Air Craft

In the initial investigations it was stated that reason of the Bhoja air crash is their worn out old

air craft. The Boeing 737-200 was 30 years old and had been bought on dry lease from a South

African company. No doubt the aircraft was old and second hand but it is not something unusual.

The fleet of state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also runs old aircraft. A Bhoja Air

official insisted that despite its age, the air craft was safe to fly. Crash investigators claim that 30

years are not especially old for an aircraft and age by itself is not an important factor in crashes.

CAA accused of giving clearance in violation of ICAO rules

The Civil Aviation Authority is learnt to have allowed Bhoja aircraft to land at Islamabad airport

when the sky was covered with cumulonimbus clouds - associated with violent events such as

lightning, thunder and tornadoes - in violation of International Civil Aviation Organization rules.

The Meteorological Department had twice issued a weather warning to CAA on April 21 and on

both the occasions it warned of an extremely high wind pressure. CAA disregarded the warnings

and allowed the Bhoja Air plane to land. Flying in cumulonimbus clouds is clear violation of

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ICAO rules and entering them is akin to committing suicide: Any aircraft flying in the vicinity of

these clouds experiences disruptions of communications and navigation equipment, besides

facing serious hazards.

The cumulonimbus cloud is one of the largest cloud formations on earth's weather patterns. Tall,

column-like cloud appearance, often with a flat top, can indicate severe lightning, heavy rains

and high winds. If the CCA had properly followed Met Department's weather warnings and

guided the aircraft to land at an alternative airport, the Bhoja plane's crash may have been

avoided.

Pilot held responsible

The pilot was 65-year old and a retired air force officer, his co-pilot was very junior. He did not

pay attention to several computer warnings when the aircraft reached a level considered

'dangerously low' and susceptible to crash. The pilot continuously ignored computer warnings of

'terrain ahead', which eventually led to the crash. The pilot had reportedly tried to land in

Islamabad despite rough weather warning from the control tower. According to a report, the last

words of the co-pilot were to raise the plane. The plane ended up being caught in a downdraft of

air and crashed within 30 seconds.

The pilot was instructed to land his flight at the Lahore airport, an alternate landing area, as the

weather conditions were not appropriate for landing. But the pilot, in order to save the fuel, went

on with his landing stance and eventually ended up crashing the flight. The plane crash could be

avoided if the pilot had turned around the plane a midst adverse weather conditions within

Islamabad.

Bhoja Ai is declared ineligible by Civil Aviation Authority for not meeting the criteria of three

aircrafts. It is temporarily banned by ministry of defense of Pakistan. Will it be able to regain

people’s trust and launch it operations again?

Discussion Questions

1. Analyze the underlying problems presented in the case study and identify the cues that

indicate the existence of that problem?

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2. Identify and justify which parties need to share the blame for the problems identified in

question 1?

3. What managerial strategies could have been adopted before launching the Bhoja air

services to avoid this incident?

4. In the light of the case discuss whether or not Civil Aviation Authority should be blamed

for this accident?

5. What strategies Bhoja Air should adopt to reposition its image?

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How Bhoja Air can Reposition its Image?

A successful brand repositioning can alter consumer’s response towards Bhoja Air. It can be

derived from the object attributes, competition, application, the types of consumers involved, or

the characteristics of the product class.

To restart Bhoja Air operations firstly they have to pay all debts to civil aviation authority and

regulatory authorities. They must introduce new and advanced air crafts then ground crew and

cockpit crew will try to join on the condition of handsome packages and facilities. They should

emphasize on the latest information and electronic technology, and it should stress on comfort,

convenience, safety and customer service.

Bhoja Air should come again in market with a new brand name. It needs to redesign its whole

marketing plan.

Marketing Strategy

In designing the new marketing strategy Bhoja Air can utilize a combination of methods to

achieve the recognition that it needs.

A fairly large advertising budget should be planned to buy the space and time to get its

name and message in front of the largest possible group of potential customers that it can.

The airline can also utilize public relations to good advantage to extend and supplement

its advertising budget.

Everything about this airline, from its name to its colors, from the look of its planes to its

airport kiosks, from its smart but informal crew uniforms to its advertisements and

literature should set it apart and it costs little more to do things freshly and smartly than

the more ordinary way of doing things.

 It needs to have both an adequate budget, as well as an outwardly directed management.

They should make their business more predictable and "user-friendly" to the passenger,

but also help fill their planes and make their financial direction more predictable and

clear to their management and their bankers as well.

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1.1 Pricing strategyCompetition on the basis of price alone has spelled disaster for Bhoja Air already. Price is clearly

an important factor driving the market place; it is by no means the only one. It should not be their

aim to be the lowest-priced competitor in the market (though they may be on occasion). 

They should propose following packages:

Set, publicized discounts for early reservations and purchasing tickets in advance.

Set, publicized discounts for reserving and ticketing online, electronically.

Seasonal and certain peak-period adjustments to the basic fares or adjustments due to

spikes in fuel prices and the like.

Infant and child discounts based on the original fare (up to free in the case of infants).

And possibly a stand-by fare (call it the "Gambler Fare") for people who are willing to

take what's available at the last minute (helps us fill seats, helps them get on a nearly full

flight, and it does not have to be radically discounted from the normal fare - probably no

more than 5 percent discount - since the normal fare will be just that, a normal fare, and

not some outrageously priced gouger.

1.2 Promotion strategy

The overall concept and design of the airline sets the stage for its promotion. Marketing and

promotion should stress the unique qualities of the airline and the points that set it apart.

Special effort must be made to develop and operate a highly functional, fast, and user-

friendly website for online information, reservations, and e-ticketing.

Internet marketing, combined with conventional non-Web marketing, will steer people to

the website. The more customers use the website, the easier and more pleasant the

experience will be for them, and the more economical and efficient, and predictable, will

be the process for the airline

Special attention should be made at the outset to reach the trend-setters and opinion-

leaders

They should arrange personal meetings between airline executives and marketing

directors and those opinion leaders

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Focus on Social responsibility tools, should engage themselves to the social campaigns

and sponsor events, workshops etc. can also distribute promotional giveaways.

Promoting your products while supporting a cause can be an effective promotional

strategy. Giving customers a sense of being a part of something larger simply by using

products they might use anyway creates a win/win situation.

Bhoja Air should take test drives and promote the success of their test drives among

people.

They can use integrated marketing tools in their promotion and advertisement.

Customer referral incentive programs can be used, which is a way to encourage current

customers to refer new customers to your store. Free products, big discounts and cash

rewards are some of the incentives they can use.

In today’s world many advertisers to differentiate their brands from that of competitors

use deeply entrenched cultural symbols. The essential task is to identify something that is

very meaningful to people that other competitors are not using and associate this brand

with that symbol.

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