Flights schedule of foreign and local airlines is going to be disturbed badly at Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIAP), due to its main runway closure for 130-day from August 1, 2015; it is learnt here on Thursday.
According to sources, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had convened a meeting with airlines operators and handling agents at AIIAP on June 26, 2015. The CAA during meeting disclosed that the authority was going to install Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT III-B system on the main runway of AIIAP.
The CAA claimed that installation of this system will assist aircrafts to land at AIIAP on 50+ meters visibility during coming winter season and this system required suitably equipped aircraft and qualified crew, airfield lighting system upgradation and surface movement radar to control ground traffic in movement area.
The CAA further said that airlines could not only maintain its schedule through out the year without any diversion but also minimise operational cost mostly incurred due to expensive diversions besides avoiding passengers' compensation and degradation of airlines after the installation of this system.
The authority said that main runway would only be available for landing/takeoff between 2300 hours to 0800 hours and 1400 hours to 1700 hours from August 1, 2015 to first week of December 2015.
However, the jet runway will be available all the times for landing/takeoff of aircrafts A-310, A-320, and ATR, while A-330 can land with reduced weight and aircraft after landing on jet runway will taxi up to jetty of the airport.
"Although airlines have been informed that big aircrafts like B-777, B-747 cannot land on jet runway and advised to reschedule their arrivals/departures accordingly, local and foreign airlines due to non-availability of smaller category remain unable to follow the instructions," sources said.
Sources said that these airlines had decided to operate with big aircrafts like B-777, B-747 at secondary runway and they also informed the CAA that international connection would also be disturbed during phases of work, if aircraft departs before 0900hours.
Replying to a question, sources said that airlines had requested to revise slot timings to accommodate the departure as slot timings given for operation on main runway could not be followed as major flights of PIA and other foreign airlines operated B-777/B-747.
When contacted, Aamir Memon spokesman PIA and Pervaiz George, spokesman CAA denied to have any meeting for said issue.
Meanwhile, CAA in its official statement said that Air Marshal (R) Muhammad Yousaf had been removed from the charge of Director General CAA and Amjad Ali Tor, who was working as Additional Secretary CAA, was appointed as DG CAA. The statement admitted that completion of development projects like installation of modern instrument landing system (ILS CAT IIIB) at Lahore and Islamabad, construction of new Islamabad Airport, modernisation of Air Traffic Control Communication and Surveillance System, etc got inordinately delayed due to failure of the top management.