RAWALPINDI: The ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe was not solely due to the pilot licence scandal, but also because of prior safety warnings issued to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) over a year ago, a Senate committee was informed on Monday.
This information surfaced during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation, chaired by Senator Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo at Parliament House.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla highlighted that the restrictions on PIA flights to Europe were not just a consequence of the pilot licence controversy. He revealed that the PCAA had received warnings regarding safety concerns well before the licence issue emerged. The Secretary of Aviation confirmed that these warnings were indeed received prior to the pilot licence scandal.
The committee was also briefed on the state-of-the-art air traffic management and navigation systems currently in place at the PCAA.
The meeting was convened to address ongoing challenges within the aviation sector. Senator Sherry Rehman urged immediate action on both the “licence-gate” issue and the four-year-long ban on PIA flights to the European Union (EU). She called for greater accountability and transparency in dealing with these critical matters, which she pointed out have remained largely unresolved and opaque.
Senator Rehman questioned the decision to allow the civil aviation authority to conduct pilot exams while simultaneously releasing a list of so-called fake licences. She criticized the former aviation minister’s speech, which, according to her, had severely damaged PIA and its pilots, from which they have yet to recover.
She also expressed deep concern over the lack of accountability in addressing these issues, noting that despite four years of investigations, those responsible for grounding the PIA fleet and the pilot scandal have not been held accountable. She emphasized that if ordinary citizens were involved, they would likely have faced severe consequences by now.
Senator Rehman stressed the need for parliament and the civil service to hold themselves accountable, adding that superficial presentations would no longer be tolerated in the upper house, as members are now more informed about the data and issues being overlooked.
She requested that the report on the European Union’s safety protocols be shared with the committee and called for the inquiry report on the pilot licence ban to be presented as well. The committee chair agreed to hold a special session on these matters.
The committee expressed its dissatisfaction with the PCAA’s performance and the prolonged unresolved issues affecting the aviation industry. Members criticized the CAA’s Director General for failing to address the pilots’ grievances, labeling this period as a “dark era” for Pakistan’s aviation sector. The Secretary of Aviation assured the committee that the pilot licence issue would be resolved within two weeks.
Despite efforts to address international regulatory air safety concerns, PIA remains banned from flying to Europe. However, PIA’s CEO informed the committee that most of these concerns had already been addressed.
In a separate briefing, the Director General of the Airport Security Force (ASF) announced the installation of a new high-tech 70kg camera at Jinnah International Airport, capable of detecting individuals from a distance of 15 km and rotating 360 degrees. Additionally, 28 advanced baggage scanning machines have been installed at airports, with 39 more planned.
The ASF chief also reported that the baggage of all passengers is scanned, although certain VVIPs are exempt from body searches. He noted that 24 ASF personnel have been martyred in the line of duty, including 11 in Karachi.
The committee was further informed about the Nawabshah airport, which had been damaged by flooding but is now operational. The airport’s lighting system has been restored, and it is now capable of handling A320 aircraft landings, with plans to accommodate Boeing 777s in the future.
