PHOTO COURTESY: http://txtav.com
The Beechcraft King Air B-200 aircraft will be used for their original purpose of calibration, Azeem told The Express Tribune. The aircraft are installed with Automatic Flight Inspection System, which is used for calibration purpose.
"CAA took the decision to enter charter service in a bid to make use of the aircraft as they have been standing idle since contracts for providing the calibration services expired," he added.
Read: CAA enters into charter service
However, the minister said the move is ‘unacceptable’ as it would create problems for private charter service providers. The decision comes hours after a report regarding CAA's decision to enter charter service was published in The Express Tribune.
The initiative was bound to make the few charter flight operators bankrupt which are still operational, officials said. “This kind of interference by a regulator in the market is unprecedented. It’s like State Bank of Pakistan saying it would have its own commercial bank,” said an official from the private sector, who was too scared to come on record.
Earlier, CAA had sparked a controversy over its decision to enter charter service as it not only caused concern among private operators but also left many wondering about the purpose of the new aviation policy, which is all about increasing participation of the private sector.
Read: Eight out of 10 PIA flights take off on time, claims CAA report
The new Beechcraft King Air B-200s, along with calibration devices, were acquired at a cost of around $15 million.
Since the 1960s, as advancement in avionics allowed pilots to use electronic navigational and landing guides, there has been a need to check the corresponding equipment installed on the ground. As the CAA constructed airports and demand for air travel grew, a dedicated calibration department was established with pilots and support staff.
Over the years, various turbo-props flew for thousands of hours to ensure that instruments guiding flights in Pakistani airspace were in order.
While the CAA doesn’t share details of its earnings from the calibration service, officials point out that it was enough to recover the $15 million cost of the aircraft in six years between fiscal years 2009 and 2015. But over the past year, all the CAA contracts with other countries expired. People of the department that were once pride of the regulator were no longer needed. Planes were almost grounded.
Read: Standing up: CAA defends aviation policy
Then on September 13, out of nowhere, the CAA announced it is launching a charter service. The advertisement titled “When you fly for big business, fly beyond business class” went on to say that flights could be taken to foreign destinations as well. It also said that Beechcraft aircraft will be used to operate these charter flights.
Pakistan has, so far, issued over two dozen licences to charter flight operators but just three of them are actually operational. “It would take a few more years for businessmen and well-to-do people to accept the idea of travelling on charter flights,” noted the industry people.
The service is mostly used by petroleum engineers travelling to distant oil and gas fields.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ