ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has warned local airline operators to abide by the safety protocols notified by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates to prevent the coronavirus spread or face “stern action,” said a PCAA spokesperson on Tuesday.
The GCAA has asked airline operators to create quarantine areas on their flights “for the exclusive sitting of suspected or symptomatic person(s).”
It also told them to ensure safe distance between passengers in the quarantine zone and other people on the flight to avoid cross-infection.
The GCAA guidelines also require airlines to designate a “buffer zone” for cabin crew members where they can wear or take off their personal protective equipment.
“The latest directives from Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to local airlines come after the GCAA issued two safety assessment reports that mentioned violations of safety protocols,” the PCAA spokesperson told Arab News.
He said that despite clear guidelines “no compliance by the operators have been observed.”
“Operator shall seat passengers and cabin crew throughout the cabin to comply, as much as practical, with physical and safe distancing principle. Passengers should be seated with at least one empty seat between each other. Alternatively, when separation not possible, the use of face masks become mandatory for passengers,” the GCCA guidelines say.
“The GCCA communicated to us that airline operators were not following the instructions in letter and spirit,” said the PCAA official. “Hence, we decided to issue directives to our airlines to fully follow the UAE authority’s COVID-19 guidelines,” the PCCA spokesman continued.
He said that future violations would “lead to stern action by the PCAA,” which may include withdrawal of permission to operate to and from UAE airports.
The PCAA notification issued late last week said “such violations are ignominious not only for the operator but also for the state and the regulator.”
On August 5, the UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries.
However, it still requires travelers from these countries to present negative COVID-19 PCR tests about 48 hours before their departure.
To facilitate Pakistani passengers traveling to the UAE, Pakistan set up rapid COVID-19 testing facilities at all the international airports of the country.
Over 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the UAE and work in different public and private sector organizations, remitting over $4 billion annually to the South Asian nation.
Pakistan tells airline operators to observe UAE pandemic guidelines or face ‘stern action’
https://arab.news/4498u
Pakistan tells airline operators to observe UAE pandemic guidelines or face ‘stern action’
- UAE authorities asked airline operators to create a quarantine zone for suspected or symptomatic people on their flights
- Pakistan says any violation of the notified guidelines may lead to a withdrawal of permission to operate to and from UAE airports
Pakistan says nine militants killed in security operations in northwest
- The intelligence-based operations were conducted in Tank and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Military says the counterterrorism campaign is being pursued under the framework of the National Action Plan
PESHAWAR: Security forces in Pakistan said on Saturday they killed nine militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in two intelligence-based operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan refers to fighters of the TTP, an umbrella group of various armed factions, as “khwarij,” a term from early Islamic history used to describe an extremist sect that rebelled against authority. The military also alleges the group receives arms and funding from the Indian government, a charge New Delhi denies.
The two operations were carried out on Dec. 5 in the volatile districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat, according to a statement from the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“On reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence-based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Tank District,” the statement said. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange, seven khwarij were sent to hell.”
“Another intelligence-based operation was conducted in Lakki Marwat District,” it added. “In ensuing fire exchange, two more khwarij were effectively neutralized by the security forces.”
ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, whom it described as “Indian sponsored” and accused of involvement in attacks on security personnel, law enforcement agencies and civilians.
It said follow-up “sanitization operations” were under way as part of the country’s counterterrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, which aims to eliminate what it called foreign-supported militant threats in the country.
