Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority

Organizational structure

Civil Aviation Authority had the following divisions:

• Regulatory Division
• Airports & Operations Division
• Support Division

Functions

PCAA served as the aviation regulator and at the same time the service provider functions of air navigation services and airport services. The core functions of PCAA being 'Regulatory', 'Air Navigation Services' and 'Airport Services'.

Air traffic

Pakistan's airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs).

• Karachi Flight Information Region
• Lahore Flight Information Region

Training

Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI), Hyderabad worked under the Civil Aviation Authority. CATI is accredited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is member of ICAO TRAINAIR PLUS Programme. The institute was established in 1982 to fulfill training requirement of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and that of the fellow countries of the region.

The Civil Aviation Training Institute provides training in the disciplines of:

• Air Traffic Services
• Electronics Engineering
• Communication Operations
• Aviation Management & Administration
• Rescue and Fire Fighting Services
• Electromechanical Engineering

Aircraft Accident Investigation Board

Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB), working under the Aviation Division Government of Pakistan is responsible for investigating civilian aircraft accidents and serious incidents. In this role, the AAIB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents. The investigation board is based in Rawalpindi near the now defunct Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIAP). It has one regional office located in Karachi near Jinnah International Airport (JIAP).

Air crash investigations

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board held following the air crash investigations on direction of the federal Government of Pakistan.

• PIA Flight 688 on 10 July 2006
• Airblue Flight 202 on 28 July 2010
• JS Air Flight 201 on 5 November 2010
• Bhoja Air Flight 213 on 20 April 2012
• PIA Flight 661 on 7 December 2016
• PIA Flight 8303 on 22 May 2020

Controversial

Fake license scandal

Ghulam Sarwar Khan addressed Pakistan's National Assembly stating 262 pilots in the country "did not take the exam themselves" and had paid someone else to sit it on their behalf, according to CNN, and added "they don't have flying experience". This accounts for 30% of Pakistani civilian pilots not capable of flying commercial aircraft. The investigation was the preliminary report into the PIA 8303 plane crash that killed 97 people in the southern city of Karachi on 22 May.

On 30 June, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) revoked PIA's 'third part authorisation', subsequently banning PIA from flying in European airspace for 6 months from the following day, following multiple safety failings.

References

References

1. "Annual Report 2014". Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority.
2. "Members Profile".
3. "ICAO Member States".
4. "Contact".
5. Iqbal, Nasir. (2020-07-27). "Civil Aviation Authority to be bifurcated".
6. (2020-03-03). "Authorities start delinking process of Civil Aviation Authority".
7. "Civil Aviation Authority divided into three parts after restructuring".
8. Asghar, Mohammad. (2021-01-07). "CAA divided into three divisions".
9. "CAA undergoes restructuring, divides into three new units".
10. "PCAA | Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority".
11. "Air Traffic Management". PCAA.
12. "Introduction". Civil Aviation Training Institute.
13. "AAIB - Final Investigation Reports".
14. "SIB Final Investigation Reports".
15. Sophia Saifi and Nectar Gan. (25 June 2020). "Almost 1 in 3 pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses, aviation minister says".
16. (30 June 2020). "EU bans Pakistan national airline flights over pilot exam cheats".