By
Aamir Latif, IOL Pakistan correspondent
KARACHI,
March 7 (IslamOnline) - The Pakistani economy suffered losses of Rs 720 million,
or approximately 11.5 million U.S. dollars, in the aviation sector alone because
of its contribution in the American campaign in Afghanistan.
The
civil aviation authority (CAA) has suffered losses of Rs 18 million (250,000
U.S. dollars) every month due to the suspension of various flights after
September 11, deputy director general of CAA Air Vice Marshal Arshad Setti told
IslamOnline Thursday.
He
said the CAA was working on different options to boost the activities from the
Pakistan. Source said the losses made the CAA drop many of its development
projects that were to start soon for various airports around country. “Only
the Lahore Airport project is alive because the project is funned by
international donor agencies," a source in CAA said.
Sethi
said that out of the 42 CAA-controlled airports, only three airports were income
generating. Those suffering losses included those of Banu, Pasni, Gawader, and
Quetta even when they were being used for the past four months by the US forces
for attacks on Afghanistan. It is precisely because of this arrangement that
scheduled civilian flights have been cancelled at these airports.
The
Quaid-e-Azam International Airport is the busiest airport in the country while
Islamabad and Peshawar airports are in the category of income generating
airports.
"Now
we handle 150 flights a day as against 270 flights before the September
11," Sethi said. The flight handling, he pointed out, had dropped to 60
flights after September 11. He said the U.S. operation from Karachi airport was
a limited one, as only two flights at the most arrived or left here.
