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PAKISTAN . Aviation & Airports

Upcoming Pakistan Airline North Air is planning to start flight operations with Bombardier Q400..




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PIA Airbus A320-214 [AP-BLB] performed a test flight over the city of Karachi, Pakistan as the airline prepares it for active service. The aircraft has been inactive since July 2020.


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CAA lifts ban on passengers travelling to Pakistan from 12 more countries

  • CAA says international travellers will be required to possess a valid negative PCR test certificate before travel to Pakistan
  • The aviation authority amended the category C list, reducing the number of countries from 38 to 26

Fahad Zulfikar
13 Jun 2021


(Karachi) Amid a decline in Covid-19 infections, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has lifted a ban on passengers travelling to Pakistan from 12 more countries in category C, a notification issued by the aviation authority stated.

The CAA's new travel guideline for passengers and chartered flights said that the Pakistanis intending to return to the country from category C countries have been allowed to travel during June. However, the passengers will be subject to a coronavirus test and quarantine upon arrival in Pakistan.

In addition, international travellers will also be required to possess a valid negative PCR test certificate conducted 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan.

The notification added that the CAA also amended the category C list comprising of countries needing prior permission from the NCOC to enter Pakistan.

The list of category C countries has now been reduced from 38 to 26 countries. Category C includes India, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

Besides, countries that have been excluded from the ban are Croatia, Cuba, Czechia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mongolia, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

The CAA updated the category C list in May when 15 countries were added, including Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, India, Brazil, and South Africa after a drastic spike in the third wave of the coronavirus.

Last year, the government suspended domestic and international flight operations and imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. Later, it eased the restrictions allowing only those passengers to travel who possess negative PCR test results and coronavirus vaccination certificates.
 
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PIA resumed its Air Safari flight from Islamabad after 14 years to resume #tourism.
Pakistan International Airlines on Saturday resumed its Air Safari flight from Islamabad after 14 years to promote tourism.

The PIA’s first Air Safari flight with 91 tourists from 13 countries on board departed from Islamabad International Airport on Saturday for Skardu.

The Air Safari flight will fly over K-2 to Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak glacier before landing in Skardu and then will return back to Islamabad.
Federal minister for power Hammad Azhar was among the tourists.



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First PIA flight, 1955
PIA came into existence on 10th January, 1955 after Govt. nationalised Orient Airways, which was owned by Isphanis ....


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Parking plaza inaugurated at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.

Federal Minister of aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan inaugurated the 3-storey parking plaza in Allama Iqbal Airport Lahore. The project worth PKR 7.5 billion has a capacity for storing 3800 vehicles simultaneously.

According to reports, the parking plaza comprises two underground and one ground-level parking spaces built to international standards. The construction work on the said parking plaza was launched in 2017.
Secretary Aviation & Chairman Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Board Shaukat Ali and Director General Civil Aviation Pakistan Khaqan Murtaza attended the inaugural event.


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PIA Will Now Operate Flights Between Faisalabad and Skardu

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced flight operations from Faisalabad to Skardu, in accordance with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to boost domestic tourism.

The national air carrier will conduct flights on this route from 7 July onwards.

PIA has also announced a 50 percent discount on the shipment of cherries from Skardu to Karachi, Islamabad, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Lahore. The new charges on the shipments will be Rs. 150 per kg instead of Rs. 300 per kg.

While PIA already operates flights from Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore to Skardu, its new flights from Sialkot to Skardu will commence on 3 July
 
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CAA slams foreign air carriers for 'overbooking'

  • Says blame of rescheduling/canceling flights rests solely on concerned foreign air carriers

Ali Ahmed
30 Jun 2021


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Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on Wednesday that it has not revoked or cancelled any flight authorisation granted to foreign air carriers, adding that the sole responsibility of "such commercial rescheduling / cancellation of flight operations to Pakistan rests solely and completely on concerned foreign air carriers".

While reminding foreign air carriers that it reserves the right to initiate punitive action, the CAA said that the only restrictions that are currently enforced have been applicable since May 5, 2021.

The statement comes after it was learnt that foreign carriers were cancelling already booked, confirmed flights owing to flight approval revocation by Pakistan CAA.

However, in response, the CAA said that it has come to the notice of the authority that foreign air carriers operating to/from Pakistan are over-booking passengers on flights operated to Pakistan from across all international destinations in their route networks on the presumption that enhanced quota will be authorized from next revision of our NOTAM.

"These over-bookings are being cancelled on the pretext that Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has revoked flight authorizations thereby pinning the blame on Pakistan CAA."

The statement added that owing to the prevailing Covid-19 situation across the globe, CAA, upon the directive of the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), curtailed inbound international flight operations to 20 % of actual Summer-21 Schedule to Pakistan with effect from May 5, 2021 and extended up to July 15, 2021.

International inbound flights were enhanced to 40% only for direct flights from UK, Canada, Europe, Malaysia and China with effect from July 1, 2021.

However, the authority said it has neither relaxed such COVID-19 restrictions nor has Pakistan CAA committed to anything indicating that international inbound flight restrictions may be eased at a certain point in time, read the statement.

"The excuse of cancelling already booked, confirmed flights / seats owing to flight approval revocation by Pakistan CAA is untenable and Pakistan CAA, currently, has no intervention either in over-booking of passengers on flights operated from outside Pakistan or cancellation of these flights to Pakistan."

"The sole responsibility of such commercial rescheduling / cancellation of flight operations to Pakistan rests solely and completely on concerned foreign air carriers," it said.

CAA said that it has taken a strict notice of this 'wrongdoing' by foreign air carriers, which has lead to public discomfort and inconvenience and it reserves the right to initiate any and all necessary punitive action against these air carriers, at its discretion.
 
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PROMOTING TOURISM: NEW AIRLINE ISSUED LICENCE TO OPERATE FLIGHTS IN #PAKISTAN
In line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to promote tourism and regional connectivity in the country, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a licence to a newly launched private airline to operate flights in Pakistan.

According to details, the PCAA has approved the issuance of Tourism Promotion & Regional Integration (TPRI) licence to the country’s private airline named Alvir Airways (Pvt) Ltd for a period of five years under National Aviation Policy 2019.
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One year on, hopes for lifting of EU curbs on PIA flights fade


Azfar-ul-Ashfaque
July 24, 2021 -



A senior PIA official said that the revenue loss was around Rs17 billion during the one-year period. — AFP/File


A senior PIA official said that the revenue loss was around Rs17 billion during the one-year period. — AFP/File


KARACHI: After passing of one year, hopes for lifting of a ban on all Pakistan-registered aircraft to enter European Union member states as well as the United Kingdom have been eroded after the global aviation watchdog delayed this month’s scheduled safety audit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for an unspecified period, it emerged on Tuesday.

In July 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had suspended the third country operator authorisation of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, to operate flights in the EU member states for six months due to safety concerns against the backdrop of the May 22 Karachi plane crash and the subsequent damning statement of Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that 40 per cent of Pakistani pilots possessed dubious licences.

While the EASA ban is on the state of Pakistan because the aviation minister used preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation to point an accusing finger towards the oversight role of the CAA in testing and licensing of pilots, it’s the PIA that has borne the brunt of the ban the most being the only Pakistani airline at that time operating flights to EU states and the United Kingdom.

While the PIA tried its best to get provisional permission to operate flights in EU states, the EASA in December extended the ban for additional three months and made it clear that it would not be lifted without the safety audit of the CAA by the aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
 
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