ISLAMABAD: The government is working on a plan to outsource the airport management system of Pakistan, in order to improve international terminals that gave a deserted look due to poor facilities.
According to media, Prime Minister Imran Khan had sought a briefing from the Aviation Division on outsourcing the management system.
Officials said that the existing plight of the airports, especially international terminals, was critical, as it gave a deserted look compared to other international cities. Now, the PTI government wants to work on a comprehensive policy to improve international airports involving all stakeholders and technical experts.
The initiative aims to bring improvement in facilities at international terminals. There is a need to improve these facilities in order to promote tourism, investment and a better image of the country, officials said.
The plan of outsourcing the airport management system of Pakistan is a part of the PTI government’s agenda to bring innovation and improvement at international airports, said an official at the Aviation Division.
The separation of regulatory structure for the aviation industry and management and land functions are under active consideration under the new aviation policy and a report will be submitted to the prime minister within a month. Aviation Division spokesperson Abdul Sattar Khokhar said the plan is being discussed to outsource system; however, operational and regulatory control would be kept with the government. He said that maintenance of building, parking and passenger services would be outsourced to qualified firms.
The Aviation Division shall complete codal formalities to separate regulatory functions of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from estate and airport management and furnish a compliance report to the prime minister within one month. The government has also drafted a new aviation policy, as it feels the previous aviation policy, framed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, had not brought any improvement in the sector. The new policy has been drafted following a request from the national flag carrier.
