KARACHI: All Russian aircraft that were impounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have left the country except for one at the Karachi airport.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the impounded aircraft were given unconditional permission to leave by the CAA and only one AN-21 is currently grounded at Karachi airport on technical grounds, but that too would leave very soon.
Two weeks back, the CAA’s flight standard director had released three impounded Russian aircraft AN-12 of Fed Aero. On November 30th, the Dubai-based air company Fed Aero managed to have the executive director of Air Armenia, Arsen Avetisyan request the CAA director general to give permission for the AN-12 plane EK-11001 to depart from Lahore to Armenia.
Following the Air Armenia executive director’s request, CAA’s Flight Standard Director Captain Naveed Aziz issued a permission letter – reference number HQCAA/5262/106/1/FS – for the plane’s departure, while the two other aircraft were also released by the authority.
After those permissions, the CAA unconditionally released other impounded aircraft, the sources said adding that it was interesting that the planes belong to the Fed Aero International Services, whose owner is a Syrian named Ahmed Al Ameen, but an Air Armenia official intervened to sort out the matter.
The sources told Pakistan Today that some six months back, the authority’s flight standard director had impounded two aircraft of Fed Aero and three of Heli Sky. He had impounded the aircraft on grounds of technical inspection, but the then Air Transport Director Manzar Jamal had released the aircraft.
Prior to the unconditional permission, eight aircraft including three helicopters were impounded at Karachi airport, two at Lahore airport, two at Islamabad airport, and four at Peshawar airport. The companies of the 16 impounded aircraft were bearing losses worth $1,000 a day in terms of parking charges, crew’s accommodation, etc.
