Pakistan to facilitate building of new airstrips, helipads by private sector to promote tourism
Three licenses granted for special flight services to well-known tourist destinations
Karachi: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has announced to fully support construction of new landing strips and helipads by the private sector to promote tourism in the country.
The announcement to this effect was made by Director-General of PCAA, Khaqan Murtaza, while addressing a press briefing about the efforts of the aviation sector regulator to promote tourism in the country in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Murtaza said the new airstrips and helipads would be built in the country under the Joint Venture or Public-Private Partnership mode as the private sector would bring in investment to build new air travel destinations in the country.
He said the PCAA had also been acting on a special licensing regime to grant permission to launch special tourist air travel service in the country. He said three licenses had already been granted to launch special flight service to provide fast connectivity to well-known tourist destinations in the country.
He said the applications by prospective operators of tourist flight service were processed by the PCAA in 60 days.
Murtaza said there were also minimal requirements of paid-up capital and security deposit to launch the new inland flight service.
The PCAA will also not receive any landing, housing, and air navigation charges from the flights of new special tourist air travel service to facilitate their operations by minimising the cost of doing business.
The PCAA chief said that aviation sector regulator would also help if the private sector wanted to launch helicopter service for tourists.
He said Pakistanis abroad would also be encouraged to launch new tourist flight service in the country.
He mentioned that the PCAA had been acting on a plan to carry out expansion of the airports in the hilly northern parts of the country to make them capable for landing and take-off for passenger aircraft to facilitate travel by more tourists.