Islamabad Airport outsourcing: Bid submission date extended again

KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has extended the tender deadline for the outsourcing of Islamabad Airport again, ARY News reported.

As per details, the government plans to generate funds through the outsourcing of airport services, hereby the deadline has been extended by two months, until July 15, Civil Aviation Authority said.

The aviation authority said that companies from Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have expressed interest in the project.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) initially announced the tender in March, with a deadline of May 15 but it has been extended now.

The decision to extend the tender date came in the wake of a lack of interest from the bidders in the outsourcing of the Airport.

Prior to this, the federal government issued tenders to seek applications for outsourcing Islamabad International Airport for 15 years.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the interested bidders were directed to submit their applications in favor of CAA a Rs5,000 fee by November 8.

It is pertinent to mention here that the government decided to outsource Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad International Airports.

Following the decision to outsource, the Employee Unions of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan (CAA) voiced strong opposition to the decision regarding outsourcing of Pakistan airports.

The union officials affirmed their longstanding opposition to the outsourcing proposal, dating back to its inception in 2016. They highlighted the detrimental impact such a move would have on the country’s interests and the integrity of the institution.