Pleas against airport outsourcing disposed of

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Wednesday disposed of petitions challenging outsourcing of management control of Allama Iqbal International Airport after Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told the court that the project in question had been scrapped.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing the petitions filed by former federal minister of PPP Dr Mubashir Hassan, employees of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and others. When counsel of the CAA stated that the project of outsourcing the airport’s management control had been dropped, the chief justice disposed of the petitions.

The chief justice had on May 30 stayed the process of outsourcing management control of the Lahore airport and directed the government to explain as to how national

security would be ensured after handing over control of the airport to foreign organisation. The petitioners’ had stated that the Civil Aviation Act did not allow outsourcing or privatisation of the airports for being sensitive premises. They said the airports were used for emergency landing of passenger and air force planes during war situation. They said outsourcing of the airports would amount to risk the national security. They asked the court to restrain the government from outsourcing of the airports.