More than 160 next of kin of Bhoja Air victims are yet to receive any compensation
LAHORE: Perhaps, it is time to contemplate whether the CAA is there to regulate airlines and to ensure safety of passengers and their legitimate interests, or is it there to specifically serve its paid employees?
Aviation is the most regulated of industries in Pakistan because every time an aircraft enters foreign airspace, it is subjected to the international and regional regulatory control of foreign countries. The Germanwings crash has only highlighted that individual employee convenience or welfare should never override regulatory functions. Strict regulatory control must be the sole priority and objective of the CAA and if this entails shifting its headquarters to Islamabad, so be it. Mayhem occurred when the CAA granted a licence to Bhoja Air without checking its financial ability to insure passengers or maintain a fleet of airworthy aircraft. Bhoja’s fugitive managing director had previously headed another airline, Air Asia, which closed down, yet he was facilitated to start another commercial venture without fulfilling requirements.
More than 160 next of kin of Bhoja Air victims are yet to receive any compensation. Their questions regarding the causes of this fatal crash have also not been answered satisfactorily. Those responsible are still not known. Moreover, it is not just the CAA’s regulatory failures, but serious security lapses on its part that are a grave cause for concern. It failed to prevent the emergence of housing societies in close proximity to the Karachi Airport’s external periphery, which should have been part of a mandatory sterile zone, which is so necessary for the security of aircraft, passengers and various other agencies involved in commercial activities.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
