ISLAMABAD: The New Islamabad International Airport is facing acute shortage of Customs staff which is causing difficulties to run the functionality of international airport.
New International Islamabad Airport (NIIA) Assistant Collector Quratulain while talking Customs Today said that this is an entirely new airport and a massive project. “We all understand there are teething issues and all agencies have to work with harmony. We have got better scanning machines for international arrival unlike the old airport,” she said.
She added that NIIA definitely a better setup than the previous one i.e. Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad (BBIA). She said that Customs Department is doing scanning at international departure under combined scanners along with ASF and ANF.
The assistant collector said that Customs is making efficient use of available resources installed at the new airport; however, “we have some staff shortage which would hopefully be addressed soon.” She said that a request had already been sent to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for approval.
Qurratulain said that there are a few issues with the new Baggage Handling System at international arrival and few issues of airlines due to which the baggage is being delayed by reason of which passengers are facing problems. She is optimistic that problems faced by the customs department will be solved soon.
She said that international carriers, including Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways, China Airlines, Oman Air, Etihad Airways, Saudi Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and Turkish Airlines have operated flights to and from Islamabad along with PIA, Shaheen Air and Airblue.
