ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Aviation Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the inefficiency of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and prolonged unresolved issues affecting the national flag carrier.
Notably, the members criticised the suspension of PIA flights to the European Union and lack of progress in addressing the problem. The meeting, chaired by Senator Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo, discussed the ongoing issues plaguing the aviation industry.
Senator Sherry Rehman drew immediate attention to the “Licence-gate” challenge and the EU ban on PIA flights for the past four years. She called for accountability and transparency in addressing both the issues, which shockingly remained unaddressed.
She questioned why the Authority was allowed to conduct both exams for licenses and put out the list of the so-called fake licenses at the same time, while the serving minister of the time made a speech that downed the PIA and its trained pilots to a slump they have never been able to recover from.
The committee was informed that the ban was still intact. “Despite four years of inquiry, no one has been held accountable for the EU ban on the PIA flights and the grounding of its staff,” she said.
She said accountability was crucial, noting had ordinary citizen been involved, they would have been jailed by now. She requested that the European Union’s report on safety protocols and the inquiry report be shared with the committee.
The chairman agreed to hold a special session of the committee on the above two issues. The committee members supported Senator Sherry Rehman’s remarks. The CAA secretary reported to the committee that resolving the issue required improvements in the safety standards across the board and indicated that a formal report and declaration would be issued to resume flights by the end of December.
However, the committee members expressed skepticism, citing ongoing turmoil and lack of accountability in the CAA. Senator Pervez Rasheed questioned whether the civil aviation had held accountable those responsible for cancellation of the PIA flights to the European countries.
“Childish stories are being told, as no one has been held responsible,” he said. Senator Salim Mandviwalla said it seemed that everyone was saving each other. The committee also addressed the prolonged issue of pilots’ licenses, which has been under discussion for the past three years.
The committee members criticized the CAA director general for failing to provide relief to pilots and described this period as a “dark era” for Pakistan’s aviation industry. The secretary aviation assured the committee that the pilots issue would be resolved within two weeks and he would respond to the committee.
Regarding the appointment criteria for the aeronautical medical staff, it was outlined that the candidates for the position of additional director aeromedical (EG-07) should hold an MBBS degree from a registered medical college, be a qualified flight surgeon registered with the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC), and have at least 20 years of medical or managerial experience, including five years as a flight surgeon.
For nursing paramedics (SG-05), a diploma in general nursing with post-basic specialization in emergency medicine or cardiology is required. Additionally, a senior representative from the Airport Security Force (ASF) provided insights into the airport security measures and discussed the bravery of Asad Shah Nawaz, who defended Karachi airport during an attack on June 8, 2014.
The committee questioned the exemption of parliamentarians from security checks at the airports, which the ASF representative confirmed, leading to objections from the committee members who argued that such exemptions were uncommon globally.
The committee also reviewed the status of Nawab Shah Airport, which was discontinued as an alternative airport for Karachi due to severe flooding in 2022 that impacted its infrastructure. It was reported that the airport was now operational for aircraft up to A320.
The committee questioned the decision to use Nawab Shah as an alternative airport and directed the CEO of airlines to explain the selection process in the next meeting. Lastly, the committee was updated on the flight operations at the Quetta International Airport.
It was reported that the PIA, Serene Airlines, and Fly Jinnah were conducting domestic flights, while Air Arabia and Fly Dubai operate international flights between Sharjah-Quetta-Sharjah and Dubai-Quetta-Dubai, respectively.
Meanwhile, Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar Monday issued the production order for Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhry of the PTI backed Sunni Ittehad Council legislator to attend the committee meeting slated for Tuesday (today).
Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhry is a member of the standing committee. Iftikhar also sent the production order to the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to ensure the SIT member’s presence in the committee meeting.