For past few days, private airlines which were allowed under Aviation Policy to offer competitive, affordable and reliable air travel facilities on domestic flights, went on a rampage, hiking fares almost by double to make astronomical unethical profits while PIA is stranded by striking pilots. This went on for days till PM arrived back from his foreign trip and took notice of this abuse. What purpose do state regulatory institutions such as federal bureaucracy, created to prevent such exploitation and cartelization serve, if they are to remain inert till PM intervenes?
After all, there exists an Aviation Division, CAA and various other state regulatory agencies such as Competition Commission of Pakistan, Federal Ombudsman etc. One of these private airlines has amongst its owners a federal minster, while other was previously owned by PAF Welfare Foundation. It seems that it is PIA which is preventing these private airlines from literally lynching clients, instead of them serving as fair competition to offer alternate options to air travelers. As it is, private airlines in violation of Aviation Policy refuse to operate on socio-economic routes and chose instead to pay miniscule fines, which do not serve as deterrence. Even before private airlines were allowed operation in Pakistan, there existed competition to PIA on international and regional routes.
There have been too many accidents involving these private airlines, most of them like Bhoja, Air Asia etc have shut down following crashes primarily because their aircrafts were aged, poorly maintained and CAA failed to enforce strict regulatory controls to prevent them from cutting corners. It is not only PIA which requires revamping, but also these private airlines and CAA.
ALI MALIK
Lahore
