CHITRAL, Nov 30: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has failed to provide basic facilities at the Chitral airport.

Every year from December to May, the district remains cut off from the rest of the country due to the closure of the 10,000-foot-high Lowari Pass and the Fokker flights between Chitral and Peshawar become the only way of link with the outside world for the people of the valley.

In winter, PIA usually operates three flights a day. Cancellation of flights becomes usual due to inclement weather.

In such a situation, passengers face ordeal, particularly patients who need immediate medical treatment outside the district. The absence of proper flights-related information adds to their woes.

The early closure of the Lowari Pass for more than a week before Eidul Fitr this year resulted in a huge rush of passengers. People, particularly those arriving in the city from the far-flung villages of the valley, complained that they faced hardships in getting flight details as there was no information centre at the airport.

The airport has only one briefing counter which remains congested before departure as passengers go through security checks. The CAA has not set up any separate counter for women at the airport.

Besides, poor cleanliness and maintenance of the waiting lounge speaks volumes about the apathy of the authorities concerned.

The CAA has also started charging entrance and parking fees from the vehicles entering a small kutcha ground on the premises of the airport without providing any facilities to motorists in return.

The authority charges Rs100 tax from every passenger as embarkment fee/airport tax, but has failed to provide and improve basic facilities at the airport.

Passengers arriving at and leaving the airport also complained that the CAA had no proper arrangements to transport their luggage to and from aircraft. They said the organization was ill-equipped and even did not possess a single courtesy trolley at the airport.

They demanded of the authorities concerned to set up a flight information centre at the airport and improve the condition of available facilities.