KARACHI: A two-member Canadian team will arrive in Pakistan to assess security arrangements at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi next week, the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Monday.

The team comprising officials of Transport Canada, a Canadian government entity responsible for policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on July 14.

It will begin its assessment at Karachi airport on July 15, focusing on aviation security documentation, airport arrangements, catering, and cargo complexes, according to the PCAA.

“The goal is to ensure that the aviation security, overseen by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), is in compliance with the standards set by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and Transport Canada,” the PCAA said in a statement.

“The PCAA is fully prepared for the assessment and is working closely with all stakeholders, including airport management, ASF (Airports Security Force), PIA (Pakistan International Airlines), cargo operators, and catering companies.”

The authority said the PIA, which operates direct flights to Canada, would be of particular interest to the Transport Canada team.

The assessment would be the 5th international evaluation of Pakistan’s aviation security system.

The PCAA has successfully passed all previous inspections, including the recent inaugural assessment by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (UAE-GCAA) of Islamabad and Karachi that concluded on July 5.

Pakistan’s aviation protocols have faced significant scrutiny since 2020 following a scandal wherein approximately 262 out of 860 active pilots were said to have obtained fake licenses, leading to the grounding of around 150 pilots from the PIA and other carriers.

This revelation came in the wake of the tragic crash of PIA Flight 8303 in Karachi, resulting in the suspension of PIA’s operations in the European Union (EU) and other regions and prompting calls for regulatory reforms to improve safety standards and transparency.