PESHAWAR: Citing security reasons, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has decided that Haj flights from Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) will be operated in the daytime only.

The decision was taken during a meeting here on Tuesday with BKIA airport manager Tahir Sikandar, said a statement issued by the local Press Information Department.

According to the statement, director (Haj) Shakeel Ahmad Sethi, deputy commissioner of Peshawar Zaheerul Islam, officials of airport security force and representatives of domestic and foreign airlines discussed the plan for post-Haj operation thoroughly.

Tahir Sikandar told the briefing that there would be no Haj flight in the nighttime and that all planes carrying Hajis (pilgrims) would land in the daylight only due to the prevalent delicate security situation in the region.

CAA attributes move to delicate security situation in region

He told the meeting that four airlines, including Pakistan International Airlines, would operate 52 flights as part of its Haj operation.

“The flights will start ‘return operations’ from October 8. The last flight will reach BKIA on November 7,” he said.

Tahir later told Dawn that the statement attributed to him was incorrect and that the airport would remain functional for 24 hours.

He said various airlines were already operating flights at the Bacha Khan airport in the daylight.

It is worth mentioning here that the CAA has changed the timing of flights from the nighttime to the daylight in the wake of the firing on the PIA airplane just before its landing at BKIA on June 25.

One woman passenger was reportedly killed and two members of the crew suffered bullet injuries in the attack.

The airplane that flew from Karachi with 196 passengers on board came under the attack near Peshawar.

After firing on the PIA flight most of the foreign airlines had suspended operations for Peshawar.

Later, CAA changed schedule for foreign companies from the nighttime to the daylight to ensure safety of passengers.

Over one million passengers fly to and from Peshawar every year.

According to media reports, another flight of PIA coming from Riyadh came under fire near Peshawar on Sunday night, but it landed safely.

Officials of the CAA and police denied media report, however.

An official source told Dawn that Itehad Airlines, which was to restart service for Peshawar on Wednesday, again changed its plan for indefinite period in the wake of reports of firing on PIA plane.

He said safety measures had been taken in the funnel area and that the police had recruited around 170 constables from Bhadbare area, who would look after the route during the landing of the airplanes.

The army and paramilitary troops had been deployed in the areas adjacent to Frontier Region Peshawar to ensure security of the funnel area passing over Darra Adamkhel and Bhadbare area.

The PID statement further said the returning Hajis would be brought from the airport to Qayyum Stadium in the cantonment area.

It also said it had been decided that only one person and one vehicle would be allowed to enter the stadium for one Haji.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2014