PM asked to reform aviation regulator

Not-for-profit body says reforms will reduce risk of disaster.

KARACHI: In a letter to caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) warns of an imminent risk of aviation disaster unless steps are taken to reform the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

PILAP believes that the CAA Act 1982 should be amended to pave the way for setting up an independent civil aviation regulator that does not have conflicting roles.

CAA is currently a provider of aviation services, developer of airports and also a regulator of such facilities and services.

This, at best, is diversion from CAA’s principal role as a regulator and at worst a potentially damaging conflict of interest, it says. Amendment to the Act will require legislative action, a task that PILAP will urge the new National Assembly to undertake expeditiously.

PILAP sees two aspects that can be addressed urgently. First, the CAA Act 1982 requires the PIA managing director to be one of CAA’s board members, but this leads to undue influence on the functioning of CAA, which is PIA’s regulator.

PILAP suggests, the government should change the composition of CAA’s board.

Second, CAA and PIA both report to the Ministry of Defence, which creates a situation where the ministry can influence CAA to compromise on safety standards with the excuse of protecting PIA’s image. To deal with this, it suggests, the government should transfer the responsibility for PIA to any other ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.

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