ISLAMABAD: A team from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) is set to arrive in Islamabad on Monday to provide specialized security training and certification to Pakistani aviation inspectors, an official from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Sunday.

Europe’s aviation regulator barred Pakistani airlines in June 2020 from operating in European airspace over concerns that Pakistan’s aviation authorities were failing to meet international safety standards. The ban was lifted in November 2024.

ECAC, a grouping of the EU and 17 other countries, is a European aviation policy forum focused on safety and security.

The PCAA requested it to train its staff after the resumption of flights to the EU in January.

“The ECAC team is arriving in Pakistan tomorrow [Monday] to conduct training of our inspectors on two key areas of Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) and Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD),” PCAA Director of Aviation Security Shahid Qadir told Arab News.

“The training aims to enhance their ability to inspect explosive detection machines as well as guide the handlers of detection dogs on key focus areas and essential elements to ensure the highest standards of inspection.”

Qadir said the PCAA is committed to meeting international standards and ensuring that the credentials of Pakistani inspectors align with those required in Europe and the US.

The two-member ECAC team will conduct a four-day training program at Islamabad International Airport, where 12 aviation security compliance inspectors are expected to participate.

“The two-member ECAC team will conduct a four-day training at Islamabad International Airport, where twelve of our aviation security regulatory inspectors will receive the training,” Qadir said.

“They will conduct the training and certify the inspectors upon its completion.”

The training is expected to reinforce Pakistan’s international credibility, as aviation security is the most frequently audited area in international oversight and the first thing regulators review is the profile of inspectors, the PCAA official added.

“When they see the courses, training, and certifications our inspectors have completed, they recognize that we meet international standards.”