In a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence, the Secretary, Ministry of Defense said that more aircraft are expected to be added to the fleet of private airlines by December, which will improve flight availability and services.
In the meeting presided over by Senator Talha Mehmood, Secretary Ministry of Defense gave a detailed briefing on the current situation of Jinnah International Airport Karachi, the increasing delay in flights and the reasons for the delay.
In the briefing, it was informed that flights have been increased at the airports of Balochistan and night flight facilities have been introduced at many places, while Peshawar Airport needs complete renovation and a new terminal.
Secretary Ministry of Defense said that Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proposed to start direct flights from Peshawar to Swat and Lahore and to restore Dera Ismail Khan Airport to operate commercial flights.
He said that the reasons for the current situation of Karachi Airport should be examined, steps have been taken to improve the airport.
Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Defense should visit Karachi Airport in detail, a comparative review of the previous and current situation of the airport will be presented to the committee.
It was informed in the briefing that various measures have been taken for the improvement of airports and aviation sector from February 4, 2025.
In the last year and a half, special attention was paid to the airports of Balochistan, the number of flights for different airports of Balochistan was increased, while the facility of night flights was also introduced at many airports.
Defense Ministry Secretary said that technical problems are also among the reasons for delay and cancellation of flights, delay of one aircraft can affect the entire operational system.
More aircraft are expected to be added to the fleet of private airlines by December, increasing the number of aircraft will improve the availability of flights and quality of services.
According to the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Peshawar Airport needs complete renovation and a new terminal, 2 ATR planes of PIA are operating for Gilgit, there is a plan to add new planes for Gilgit by the next season, the runway and lighting system of Gilgit Airport has been modernized and restored, after the improvement, other airlines can also consider starting operations for Gilgit.
It was informed in the briefing that the feasibility study of the new greenfield airport on 1800 acres is in the final stages, the final location of the new airport will be selected in the light of the recommendations of the committee.
Following the proposed privatization of PIA, private airlines are increasing their operational capacity, while encouraging the operation of smaller aircraft on regional and short-haul routes.