ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director general on Thursday told the Senate’s Aviation Committee that a plan to introduce helicopter service for tourists is under progress.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, a member of the committee, asked him why a helicopter facility was not being introduced to promote tourism, to which the he replied that a plan related to the very proposal is in the pipeline.
CAA DG Khaqan Murtaza stated that flights to Swat’s Saidu Sharif airport were suspended due to the less number of passengers than required. He said a mere six passengers traveled on a flight to Swat, due to which the flight operation was suspended.
Senator Aun Abbas came up with the opinion that the people responsible for issuance of fake licences should have been taken into custody under murder charges. He asked if nobody knew about pilots’ bogus licences before Ghulam Sarwar being appointed as aviation minister.
The committee directed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Air Marshal Arshad Malik to turn up along with the record of the Karachi plane crash.
The CAA secretary informed that the national flag carrier is to pay off an outstanding debt of Rs455 billion. A restructuring plan to turn the airline into a profit making entity has been forwarded to the federal cabinet, he added.
