CAA’s head of standards appointment marred with obscurity

Officials say appointment illegal as per rules; PIA denies allegations.

KARACHI: A former office bearer of the Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (Palpa) has been appointed as the head of aviation industry’s watchdog for cabin crew, raising concerns about impartiality of his office, officials told The Express Tribune.

Captain Arif Majeed, a pilot of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), took over as director of flight standards of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on January 22, just weeks before he retires from the national carrier, they said.

His appointment comes at a time when PIA is facing problems in maintaining the quality of its fleet, which has been hit hard by technical problems in recent months.

From 2006 to 2010, Majeed remained Palpa’s general secretary, which basically works as a representative body for the PIA pilots. He has gone to CAA on deputation.

As head of the flight standards department, he will be responsible to review the performance of pilots and flight attendants besides ensuring that the interior of the aircrafts meet relevant safety and security regulations.



Officials say the entire process of his appointment is marred with irregularities. “Majeed is retiring in March. The rules clearly say that an official needs to have a service of at least three years left for such a deputation,” said an official who is close to the development.

He was appointed on recommendation of the CAA without any selection procedure. “How can just one man be fit for the job? The right way should have been that a panel be formed that shortlists the director from a number of candidates,” said the official.

A senior pilot said that the aviation regulator should have advertised the post and hired someone who had not been part of the pilots’ union.

CAA spokesperson Pervez George said there was no conflict of interest in Majeed’s appointment. “Our concern is with the safety of the aircraft. Now that he is with CAA, his past affiliations do not matter.”

He said that the Flight Standards’ Director is directly appointed by the CAA and no interviews are conducted. He could not say, however, on whose recommendation was Majeed appointed.

PIA spokesperson said Majeed will be retiring sometime this year. He said the rule of having at least three years of service left does not apply to such deputation.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2013.

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