News
Monday, July 15, 2013
Govt to improve airports’ infrastructure with Rs 100bnBy Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The government is working on a major renovation plan worth Rs 100 billion to improve the infrastructure at the country’s airports by 2015.
According to the government’s vision on aviation, a copy of which was made available to Daily Times on Sunday, no major upgrade or induction of latest technology/equipment has taken place in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the last 20-25 years. Its radars, communication and radio navigation equipment has become old, while its runways and passenger terminals at Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Nawabshah and Faisalabad have deteriorated through wear and tear. All these need to be upgraded/replaced, it emphasised.
Pursuant to the directive of the prime minister on security environment, Adviser to the PM on Aviation Shujaat Azeem has directed CAA DG and the Airport Security Force (ASF) to initiate the process of acquiring latest scanners to be deployed at all major airports. Taking serious notice of threats to airports and the experiences at Peshawar and Kamra, Shujaat has ordered foolproof security at the airports and has written a personal letter to the minister of interior for beefing up surveillance at CAA airports and enhancing the security cover there and at mega projects.
While security is the number one priority, the ASF is still operating CAT-I scanning machines, while CAT-III scanning machines are the standard configurations at all major international airports to counter increasing security threats. This area has been overlooked for a considerable period of time. Efforts have been initiated on war footing, and CAA and ASF have been involved to ensure that the Pakistani airports are equipped with the latest technology. A working paper has been developed to immediately procure CAT-III scanners on urgent basis so that security is not compromised.
Another major security concern is congestion at the airports. At the Islamabad airport, which is a joint user airfield, the same had been neglected and all international carriers/flights have been placed in one block time at night, thus resulting in congestion for all agencies concerned, passengers as well as for the airport authorities. A meeting of all international carriers has been called on immediate basis to develop a staggered time frame to create a better working environment. The same will be made effective from August 2013.
The paper says that the National Aviation Policy 2013, a step long awaited by all the aviation stakeholders, from airlines, private operators, ground services, cargo & freight management companies to aircraft handling companies. The last such review was made in 2000 and since then the global aviation industry has seen a tremendous change after 9/11. The process of leasing and operating the aircraft at airports has changed considerably. To meet the international standards and to get the viewpoint of all stakeholders, letters have been dispatched for their suggestions and comments.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk