KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday ordered Air Indus, a small-sized private airline, to halt operations indefinitely from July 1, 2015, owing to "consistent violation of safety regulations by the airline."
A press release issued by CAA said unsafe condition of aircraft and persistent violations of safety regulations which endanger the safety of the airplanes and passengers are reasons due to which the authority has ordered suspension of the the airline's operations.
According to the statement, the airline's operational status will not be restored until it improves and achieves the required safety standards.
The CAA statement said despite repeated safety directives and warnings, the operator did not make any improvements to allay safety concerns and ignored safety instructions.
The authority subsequently suspended the airline's operations "in order to ensure safety of passengers" effective tomorrow (July 1).
Air Indus started its operations as a low-cost airline in July 2013.
CAA Spokesman Pervez George told Dawn.com that out of the two aircraft owned by Air Indus, only one functioned satisfactorily while the other has faced problems on and off.
According to the spokesman, the airline had purchased a third aircraft on lease which it had to return after it failed to fulfill timely lease payments.
George further urged passengers to not book flights with the airline on July 1 and 2, adding that the CAA had already warned the airline about possible suspension of its operations.
The CAA earlier in 2007, suspended the operations of Aero Asia Airlines due to issues relating to safety and passenger convenience.
Take a look: Airline’s operations suspended for safety
In May 2012, the authority suspended the operations of Bhoja Air for not having the required fleet strength of three aircraft. The decision came a month after a Bhoja Air flight traveling from Karachi to Islamabad crashed as it approached Islamabad airport, killing all 127 passengers on board.
Also read: Bhoja Air operations suspended
No one from Air Indus could be reached for a comment at this point.
