Transport Canada, the Canadian transportation agency, has unexpectedly postponed its planned visit to Pakistan to audit airports and flight security.
The delegation was initially scheduled to visit Pakistan in the first week of December with an agenda to conduct an extensive audit of Pakistani airports and flight operations catering to Canada.
The visit by Transport Canada’s two-member delegation was set to commence on December 4, starting from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. However, the agency has now deferred its visit to Pakistan, with the new schedule planned 2024. The postponement may significantly affect Pakistan’s flight operations and security measures.
In related developments, a team from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) completed a safety audit of various Pakistani aviation entities, including the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Vision Air International charter cargo service, and the private airline Airblue, during their visit in November.
Sources indicate that Pakistani national and private airlines will likely receive approval to resume flight operations in the United Kingdom (UK) and other European states following the EASA’s safety audit clearance. Since the restrictions were implemented, the EASA ban had previously resulted in a substantial financial loss for PIA, amounting to Rs170 billion.
