ISLAMABAD – The scrutiny of Pakistan’s three major international airports would be done by a delegation scheduled to arrive in the country later this month.
The delegation from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) would arrive on May 30 to conduct security audit of Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore, Jinnah International Airport Karachi and Islamabad International Airport.
Pakistan’s aviation regulator, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has finalized the arrangements for the visit to the airports in which the delegation will conduct audit of various departments including airport security forces, flight kitchens, and ground handling and will monitor the screening of passengers’ belongings, the transfer of luggage onto the aircraft, and other security equipment.
During the assessment, the airport managers will brief the delegation about the facilities provided by the facility and any loopholes.
The core purpose of the delegation’s visit is to examine the security of direct flights heading from Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi to the UK.
The British delegation was scheduled to visit Pakistan on July 10; however, the visit has been preponed to May 30.
It bears mentioning that in March, authorities in Pakistan announced that three airports mentioned above would be run on public-private partnership to avert the economic crisis that has impacted the country’s middle class.
The development comes months after railways minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique, revealed that the federal government was negotiating with Doha and would also engage the UAE to outsource operations of its Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports.
He had said in January that the move would improve airport service standards and would also bring in much-needed foreign direct investment into the country which is facing balance of payment crisis and skyrocketing inflation.
At that time, the minister had detailed that the country had acquired the services of the International Finance Corporation – a subsidiary of the World Bank – that has provided consultancy for dozens of airports.
The outsourcing of three airports has been kicked off within the scope of a public-private partnership to engage private investors/airport operators through a competitive and transparent process.
The investors and airport operators would be required to “run the airports, develop appertaining land assets and enhance avenues for commercial activities and to garner full revenue potential,” an official statement said.
The airports in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi are the most important of all the airports in the country and outsourcing its operations gives a clue of the severity of the economic crisis being faced by the country.
