ICAO audit team to reach Pakistan on Nov 5

KARACHI: A seven-member team of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will arrive in Pakistan on November 5 to conduct flight safety and maintenance audit, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the ICAO team will visit Pakistan from November 5 to 10 for the flight safety and maintenance audit.

Pakistan seeks ICAO’s nod to resume flights to Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) after the years-long ban since July 2021.

READ: ICAO RELEASES INTERIM REPORT, NEW RANKING AFTER PCAA’S SAFETY AUDIT

The restrictions were imposed in the wake of the May 20, 2022, Karachi plane crash and a statement by then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar that around 40 per cent of Pakistani pilots had fake licences.

The ICAO delegation will be headed by Manjeet Singh which will encompass various critical aspects of aviation, including license standards, flight safety measures, and air traffic control protocols.

During their visit, the ICAO team will inspect several key aviation facilities, including Lahore and Karachi airports, as well as the CAA Headquarters in Karachi.

Furthermore, the ICAO team will audit regulatory preparations and procedures that govern Pakistani aviation, which will play a crucial role in maintaining the safety and security of flights operating in European airspace.

In January 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had expressed satisfaction over safety measures from Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Read: ICAO expresses satisfaction over CAA safety measures after audit

The satisfaction with the safety measures from ICAO has led to removing CAA from the list of safety significant concern (SSC).

The lifting of the SSC on CAA will pave the way for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to lift the ban on PIA flights from Pakistan to Europe.

The ICAO during its audit carried out in December 2021 has given CAA, a ranking of 72.77 percent.