Outsourcing of airports deferred, CAA tells LHC

LAHORE: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Wednesday told the Lahore High Court that the matter of outsourcing three of the country’s airports had been deferred till June 3.

CAA Deputy Director Legal Farooq Afzal said this during the hearing of petitions challenging outsourcing of management control of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore airports. However, Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah expressed dismay over non-appearance of a responsible officer from the CAA.

A deputy attorney general asked the court to grant more time to file a detailed report on the issue and appearance of the authority’s officer conversant to the outsourcing process.



The chief justice observed that the court would stay the impugned process of airports’ outsourcing if the CAA did not change its conduct. The CJ adjourned further hearing till May 30 and directed the CAA to submit its report about legal position of the outsourcing the management control of the airports.

Earlier, Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn argued on behalf of the petitioners that the Civil Aviation Act did not allow outsourcing or privatisation of the airports for being sensitive premises. The lawyer said the airports were used for emergency landing of passenger and air force planes during war situation. He said outsourcing the airports would amount to risk national security. He asked the court to restrain the government from outsourcing of the airports.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2017.