KARACHI: A two-member Canadian team on Thursday certified aviation security protocols at Pakistan's largest airport in the southern port city of Karachi, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said.

The Canadian team comprising inspectors Barbara Durette and Abdel Tahir, from Transport Canada — a Canadian government entity responsible for policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation — began its aviation security assessment at Jinnah International Airport earlier this week under the supervision of Pakistan's Aviation Security Director Air Commodore (retired) Shahid Qadir.

The team evaluated various security measures, including passenger and baggage screening, perimeter protection, cargo and catering security, as well as security protocols for direct flights to Canada, according to the PCAA. It also monitored security measures for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Toronto, assessing access control, aircraft protection, security searches and related procedures.

"The [Canadian] team expressed gratitude to PCAA for hosting them and commended the airport's security protocols for aligning with international standards and best practices," the PCAA said in a statement on Thursday.

This was the 5th international evaluation of Pakistan’s aviation security system in recent months. The PCAA earlier said it had successfully passed all previous inspections, including an inaugural assessment by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (UAE-GCAA) of Islamabad and Karachi airports 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.