PIA plans engineering building at IIA: sources

Purpose-built complex will have hanger facility

RAWALPINDI:

The national flag carrier has decided to build its own engineering building in the apron area of the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

The engineering building of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will also have hanger facility for its airplanes, they said. It will be an extension to the current engineering facilities available at IIA, sources said.

Last year in October, PIA engineering department at IIA had overhauled a Boeing 777. This was the first aircraft which underwent overhauling after up-grading of engineering facility at IIA. Earlier, Karachi was the only station approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to check aircraft. However, in August 2019 Lahore base was upgraded followed by Islamabad for the Boeing 777s checks.

With its Islamabad engineering department upgraded, PIA is looking forward to develop a purpose-built complex at IIA, sources added.

PIA has identified the site at IIA for this purpose while it has started approaching different registered engineering firms for feasibility report, design, construction, and consultation services.

Sources said that PIA engineering building would also enable repairing of its faulty airplanes at IIA while it would help in the examination of airworthiness of aircraft for safe flights.

The relocation process of the PIA Head Office to Islamabad is already in process while its framework plan has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan for final approval, they said.

According to the Aviation Division sources, the PIA Head Office is being shifted to the defunct Benazir Bhutto International Airport’s terminal building, while its car parking area would be brought into commercial use by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The sources said each detail of relocating the head office from Karachi to Islamabad has been finalised.

According to the Aviation Division, national airlines has shifted its marketing department, procedure bureau, central reservation control, revenue management, human resource and security and vigilance department to Islamabad, while its finance, engineering and situation room are present in Karachi.

Moreover, sources said that the city’s apex development agency is in talks with CAA to ease the conditions for the construction of high-rise buildings around the airport.

Presently, construction of 20-storey buildings in banned with the 15km radius of IIA.

To speed up the process of providing clearances to high-rise buildings being constructed in areas close to the airport, a system is being developed whereby clearance will not be required from the aviation regulator if they are located outside a 15-kilometre radius of the airport.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2020.