ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: The Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad has run out of space to further expand and extend facilities to meet the bulk of passengers in the future, claims a joint report submitted before the Supreme Court by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday.
The joint report was submitted in compliance to a September 24 direction of the Supreme Court, in which it ordered the CAA to submit a consolidated report, regarding facilities being provided to immigrants (Overseas Pakistanis) at the airports.
A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif showed concern for the mistreatment of Pakistani expatriates at the airports.
The case was initiated by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, who himself noticed the helplessness of Pakistani expatriates at the Islamabad airport.
Justice Khawaja was in the baggage collection area of the airport in June last year, when he saw the luggage of Pakistani expatriates arriving from Canada falling off the conveyer belt and the staff of the CAA taking no notice of the plight and complaints of the expatriates.
The CAA report was finalised, after holding a meeting on September 27, at the Islamabad airport which was headed by Acting Director General CAA, AVM Juanid Ahmed Siddiqui and participated by senior representatives of the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration Department, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF).
Submitted by Senior Legal Officer CAA, Obaidur Rehman Abbasi, the report conceded that the Islamabad airport — a joint user facility airport — had been undertaking makeshift arrangements to expand the facilities, over the years, but now it has reached to a point where it is left with no space to expand any further.
The CAA does realise that maintenance and bringing further improvements in the existing facilities is needed but operations at the International Departure Lounge (IDL) sometimes get clogged due to the space constraint during peak hours, the report acknowledged.
One of the reasons, for overcrowding at the IDL during peak hours is the slow pace baggage clearance by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), which checks the baggage of every passenger manually without any exception, the report blamed, adding that the issue was deliberated at length during the meeting where it was decided to take up the matter with the DG ANF.
CAA however planned to do a modular expansion at the Islamabad airport’s IDL to ease out congestion to improve services and comfort of the passengers, it said adding the plan will be executed soon.
The CAA has always endeavoured and being a service provider/regulator, has always considered it an obligation to facilitate the passengers with the best possible services of international standards, the report said.
For special care and attention to overseas passengers, the report said, it was proposed during the meeting to place a special desk at the arrivals, with a slogan “Welcome to Pakistan — Courtesy Care Desk.”
This desk will jointly be operated by CAA, OPF and the FIA (Immigration) and Passport, whereas the CAA will ensure that this courtesy desk is manned and operated effectively.
The report further stated that being a regulator, the CAA maintains and operates a network of 44 airports in the country.
Of 44 airports, 27 airdromes are operational, six airports have been scaled down and ten have been closed completely, since commercial operations have been suspended on some of the domestic routes.