October 8, 2005	Saturday	Ramazan 3, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The Senate Standing Committee on Defence on Friday took note of requisition by senators Rukhsana Zuberi, Mouhim Khan Baloch and Farhatullah Babar regarding non-implementation of various assurances given by the PIA management.

According to a statement issued here, the meeting was presided over by Senator Nisar Memon.

The committee was told that as per PIA’s commitment, Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) was installed on F-27 aircraft for operation to Muscat, and flights were operational on that route.

However, for Sharjah route, another costly instrument called the Required Navigational Performance-5 (RNP-5) was required to be installed as a pre-condition for operating F-27 to Sharjah from the coastal areas of Balochistan.

The PIA management had approached the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of UAE for grant of waiver for operation of PIA’s F-27 aircraft for a period of six months. But, it was refused by GCAA and UAE as such flights to Sharjah were not operational.

The statement quoted PIA Chairman Tariq Kirmani as informing the committee that the national carrier, as per its business plan to modernize the airline, intended to purchase seven new ATR42- 500 aircraft fitted with TCAS and RNP-5.

He said the PIA was planning to get two such aircraft from manufacturers on lease before the delivery of seven new ATRs next year. Pakistan would also get planes on lease for all Umrah and Haj flights.

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