KARACHI:
Pakistan’s aviation industry has long suffered because of the unjustified expansion of housing societies in the vicinity of every civil airport. Every week we hear news of birds damaging commercial airplanes or delays in departure at Lahore, Karachi, and other major airports of the country. Globally, airports are located far from cities to ensure the smooth functioning of the airport and avoid hurdles in landing and take-offs. In Pakistan, residential colonies, wedding halls, eateries, etc are located close to the airports, which often accumulate food waste that attracts birds. This is dangerous and can lead to serious accidents with fatalities of passengers or civilians.
Instead of curtailing construction activities nearby airports, there has been an increase in the construction of buildings and homes. The Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) sheer disregard for safety has created a culture of non-compliance as developers easily gain no-objection certificates (NOCs). This ignorance has led to a decline in our aviation industry. The PK8303 airplane crash in Karachi, and the irresponsible statement of the Minister of Aviation claiming that most pilots had fake licenses set a bad precedent. Consequently, in July 2020, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed a 6-month ban on all Pakistani airlines in Europe.
It appears that the CAA lacks competent and experienced management because most Pakistani airlines have failed to comply with the regulations and recommendations of international regulatory agencies, which have resulted in partial or complete bans. Now EASA has suggested that its team will conduct an on-spot technical audit of the CAA’s capability to ensure that it performs mandatory regulatory functions. It is high time that the government reforms the CAA and replaces the staff with competent professionals to avoid future embarrassment and dangerous accidents.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2022.
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