ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Maj (retired) Tanveer Hussain Syed on Friday informed the National Assembly that the US was not allowing direct flights from Pakistan due to security concerns.

Replying to a supplementary question in the National Assembly, the parliamentary secretary said the US had asked Pakistani authorities to improve security arrangements and it had also provided some equipment in this regard.

Earlier, in a written reply to a question of MNA Syeda Farhana Khalid Banoori, Federal Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal said the total income of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) during the financial year 2005 from international routes, excluding flights for Haj and Umrah was Rs47.3 billion.

He said the total income (revenue) from Haj flights during the same year was Rs4.7 billion and it was Rs1.7 billion from Umrah flights. He said the PIA did not generate any profit during the financial year 2005 from international Haj/Umrah flights due to the exorbitant increase in fuel price.

Responding to a question of MNA Safdar Shakir of the PML, the defence minister said a proposal regarding revision of pay structures of the employees of the Airport Security Force (ASF) and to bring at par with other well-paid federal government departments, including Motorway Police, was under consideration and on receipt of a well-conceived model, it would be taken up with the Finance Division.

Replying to a question of PML-N MNA Rana Mehmoodul Hassan, the defence minister stated that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was undertaking a project to expand the Multan airport at a cost of Rs2.66 billion and the project would be completed in three years. In response to a supplementary question, the parliamentary secretary for defence said the inquiry report of the last month Fokker crash at Multan airport would be presented before the parliament in three months.