Pakistan certifies aviation security officers under UK-led training, aims for stronger global compliance

Ground staff stand next to the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) aircraft ahead of its takeoff for Paris at the Islamabad International Airport on January 10, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 13 May 2025
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Pakistan certifies aviation security officers under UK-led training, aims for stronger global compliance

  • Officials of Pakistan’s aviation security directorate have been trained by ICAO-qualified instructors
  • The training will help aviation security inspectors increase compliance with international standards

KARACHI: Pakistan’s civil aviation regulator on Tuesday said all officers in its aviation security directorate have been internationally certified as security inspectors, following a UK-sponsored training program conducted by instructors qualified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The certification, delivered by the UK Department for Transport (DfT), marks a key step in boosting Pakistan’s compliance with global aviation security standards. Officials said the move is expected to strengthen oversight, improve regulatory capability and bolster Pakistan’s standing under ICAO’s global audit regime.

“This training will play a pivotal role in enhancing the capabilities of our national aviation security inspectors and help increase compliance with international standards,” the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement.

The training, conducted in Pakistan by ICAO-qualified UK instructors, officially recognizes all officers in the CAA’s Directorate of Aviation Security as certified Aviation Security Inspectors, a designation that enables them to conduct safety and compliance assessments in line with international protocols.

Pakistan has previously ranked high in South Asia on ICAO’s Effective Implementation Rating, a global benchmark that measures a country’s adherence to international aviation safety and security practices.

The assessment is conducted under ICAO’s Universal Security Audit Program (USAP), which evaluates how well member states implement aviation security oversight systems.

The PCAA informed it was also expanding safety inspector training through international academic placements, adding two officers had been selected for fully sponsored postgraduate programs in France and South Korea, secured through ongoing coordination with both countries’ civil aviation authorities.


IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’

Updated 10 January 2026
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IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’

  • Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms
  • IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities

KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.

Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.

“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.

“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.

The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.

Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.

Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.