ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee on Aviation was informed that the privatization process of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) is almost completed.
The 2nd meeting of the Standing Committee on Aviation was held here on Monday under the Chairmanship of Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, MNA at the Parliament House here.
The committee was informed that the privatization process of PIAC is almost completed. The CAA currently operates 22 out of 43 airports, including 13 international ones, and has been experiencing budget constraints on the development side for several years. As a result, the CAA is using second-generation equipments, whereas developed countries are utilizing the latest third- generation equipments.
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The Committee also emphasized the need to improve the quality of food service and the behavior of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) staff towards passengers in order to enhance the overall travel experience.
Furthermore, the Committee was briefed that the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) has planned to install five new radars in Quetta, Dera Ismail Khan, Cherat, Gwadar and Lahore. Moreover, 3 mobile radars and 300 automatic weather stations were also be installed under World Bank funded Hydromet Project.
The committee was also informed that Pakistan Disaster Management (PDM) is developing a Kisan Mobile application that aims to provide farmers and other state departments with early weather forecasts and flood warnings.
Additionally, the committee expressed concerns about the cracks in the aircraft parking area at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. In response, the CAA acknowledged the issue and reported that the work has been awarded and is currently underway.
The committee also raised concerns about the appointment of aero-medical staff and the licensing of pilots and recommended that the relevant authorities submit a comprehensive report on these matters.
The meeting was attended by MNAs including Aqeel Malik, Dr. Darshan, Choudhary Iftikhar Nazir, Ramesh Lal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Munazza Hassan, Saleem Rehman, Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Ehsanullah Virk, Mr. Muhammad Sadullah and Usman Ali besides the officials of the Ministry attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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