Flight operations in Europe: NA panel asks ministry to submit detailed reports

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation directed the Ministry of Aviation to submit detailed reports regarding flight operations in Europe and the Boeing-777 aircraft which was impounded at the Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia due to non-payment of lease dues, in the next meeting.

The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Syed Mobeen Ahmed, MNA.

The committee was briefed on the working and functioning of the Ministry of Aviation and its attached departments.

Secretary Ministry of Aviation gave a comprehensive briefing on the working and functioning of the ministry. He apprised the committee that the vision of the ministry is to promote and regulate Civil Aviation activities and to develop an infrastructure for safe, secure, efficient adequate, economical and well-coordinated civil air transport service in Pakistan. Three main drivers of control to pursue this vision are strategy, policy and oversight. Under the broad base contours of their strategy, the National Aviation Policy 2019 has emerged as the stepping stone of advancement in aviation. He briefed that aviation became an independent Division under the Cabinet Secretariat in June 2013 and a ministry on 19th April 2022. The ministry spearheads strategy, policy and oversight of all matters related to civil aviation of Airport Security Force (ASF), Pakistan Meteorological Department, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He further briefed that the main functions of the ministry are to regulate, organize, safety of air traffic and provision of aerodromes. The ministry also perform liaison with International Civil Aviation Organization and other international organizations.

The committee was briefed about the “Matter regarding the PIA Flight PK-368 departed from Karachi to Islamabad on 16-01-2022, wherein, the Captain allowed a passenger to sit in the cockpit for a considerable time, compromising the safety of all the passengers (moved by Lal Chand, MNA)”. The General Manager (Coord), PIA apprised that the passenger in question was a PIA employee who was eligible and was authorized to travel on the flight deck by the Captain as per section 14.1.2 and 14.3.2 of the Operational Manual (OMA) of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. He stated that no breach of rules, national or international took place in the said event.

Therefore, the Committee dropped the agenda.

The meeting was attended by Choudhary Faqir Ahmad, Romina Khurshid Alam, Kamal Uddin, Muhammad Abu Bakar and Saira Bano, MNAs. Senior officers of the Ministry of Aviation and its attached departments/organizations were also present in the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022