Come next ICAO audit, CAA ratings ‘will take a blow’

After the tragic Bhoja Air crash, Pakistan is likely to face a slide in its aviation ratings over the serious negligence shown by the country’s aviation authority in its air transport matters.
The plane crash that killed all 127 passengers onboard will be a major issue for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the next audit of International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).
Sources in the airline industry told Pakistan Today that any member country of ICAO can complain over the negligence of CAA in the air transport mechanism in Pakistan, which will result in low ratings for the country due to the serious violations of international aviation rules and regulations.
“The blame of the recent airplane crash lies solely with the CAA’s Air Transport Department, which is being run by a non-technical and non-qualified professional for months, despite the fact that the position is assigned by ICAO for better management of a country’s aviation,” the sources said.
Before the last ICAO audit held in June 2011, the CAA Air Transport and Licensing departments were being looked after by then Licensing General Manager Aftab Naqvi.
“To save the organisation from sanctions, the then CAA management immediately handed over the charge of Air Transport Department to Khawar Ghiyas,” sources added.
Since last December, the department, which deals with 80 percent of the aviation issues, is being run by Fauzia Saleem, a professional accountant on deputation at the CAA from the office of Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).
“One of the most important departments of CAA, which issues licenses to airlines, renews or revokes licences and bilateral agreements with other countries, under the charge of a non-technical person is a matter of grave concern,” the sources said. “She also had a role in the renewal of the Bhoja Air’s licence some time ago, so one can easily understand what went wrong.”
Once the ICAO comes for an audit, this will surely result in downgrade of Pakistan’s aviation ratings by ICAO, they added.
The ICAO’s air transport regulation programmes deal mainly with matters relating to the regulation of international air transport, striving to implement practical and achievable measures to improve safety and efficiency in all sectors of the air transportation system.
Earlier in December, Auditor General Akhtar Buland Rana had asked the CAA to return the services of Saleem, who was serving as the Controller Military Accounts (CMA) in Karachi prior to her deputation in CAA as Air Transport Director, for their office in Quetta.
“Former CAA Director General Khalid Chohdri did not allow Saleem to return to the AGP office,” the sources informed Pakistan Today.
According to the CAA website, matters that come in the domain of its Air Transport Department include drafting national aviation policy, bilateral air service agreements, routes of scheduled or non-scheduled flight operations, issuing licences of Regular Public Transport (RPT – all private and national airlines are operating under this licence), charter flights, aerial works, flying schools, ground schools, dangerous goods regulations, etc.
Similarly, as per regulations for the renewal of RPT licence: “The licence holder (licencee) shall apply to the CAA Air Transport director. After receiving the application, the Air Transport Department is bound to seek comments and satisfaction over the worthiness of the airline from aviation experts.”
The sources said that no such requirements were fulfilled prior to licencing the Bhoja Air to resume its operations in the country.
They added that the Air Transport director must either be a former air traffic controller or one with satisfactory aviation background.
The rule is: “On receipt of the federal government approval, the licence shall be renewed by the Air Transport Directorate.”
The sources said that other CAA departments are also mismanaged. “The former South Region controller Bhatti was qualified in Russian flight standards,” they said.
Bhatti was replaced by Mushtaq Saein a week ago.
According to the sources, Bhatti was responsible for checking airworthiness of planes.
Similarly, an inspector at the CAA Flight Standards Department, the aviation officer concerned for Bhoja Air, has been a long-term employee of Bhoja Air Managing Director Arshad Jalil.
As per rules: “The Flight Standards Department performs the task of maintaining regular surveillance of the operational aspects of all air transport operators to ensure safe and efficient commercial air transport services in the country.”
The sources opined that these issues are not new for the CAA as one of its inspectors, Captain Shafqat Mehmood, an Air Blue inspector for long – even at the time of Air Blue plane crash –is also a pilot at the Air Blue company.
“This is in violation of Rule 197(II)C, which restricts the CAA employees from flying private airlines as pilots in command,” the sources said.
Mehmood’s position was challenged in the Sindh High Court by his former colleague Captain Nawaz Asim, who even won the case, but the CAA has still not stopped the official from flying at Air Blue.