Pakistani Airline Responds To Deadly Crash By Sacrificing Goat on Airport Tarmac

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].”

Of course, most passengers would not be comforted by an airline turning to supervision rather than engineering to guarantee flight safety. Most require a bit more than a “hope and a prayer” for a flight.