Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Civil Aviation Authority’s(CAA) magnanimous attitude toward NATO forces at the cost of the national exchequer has been unearthed by Auditor General of Pakistan, saying that CAA has not received even a penny from the thousands of NATO flights which had been using Pakistan’s air space for the last ten years.

Former military ruler General Musharraf allowed NATO flights to fly into Pakistan during Afghan War but NATO did not pay a penny to the CAA, the document revealed. The document revealed that 360 NATO flights per month used Pakistan air space since the start of the Afghan war and these flights were still using Pakistan’s airspace without paying the government of Pakistan.

An audit report said that during the audit it was found that civil Aviation Authority (operational directorate ) did not impose aeronautical charges on the north Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO forces which had been using the airspace of Pakistan for its state military aircraft since the start of the Afghan War in 2001.

The audit further observed that about 360 monthly flights were using the air space of Pakistan on the route RIRANGADDAR. No claim against airlines was raised for using the said air space by CAA amounting to us$1.18 million for the current year. According to law the airlines were liable to pay aeronautical charges in but neither did the government impose any charges on NATO flights nor did NATO pay the government of Pakistan, in violation of ICAO rules and international laws.

It was also confirmed by the government’s official papers that the CAA did not even maintain the data of NATO flights that had used Pakistan airspace and traffic data of PIRANGADDAR route was not being provided to the accounting branch, although the flight data was available with operational directorate.

Audit official alleged that CAA did not provide complete data and information relating to 18 nautical miles including traffic data of PIRAN GADDAR for verification.

Aviation expert opined that if the CAA laws were adhered to, then the government could have pocketed billions of dollars in its treasure troves from international flights that had used Pakistan airspace since the eruption of the war on terror in 2001.

Daily Times approached Civil Aviation Authority’s spokesman to comment on this issue but the concerned officer did not comment, saying it was beyond its duty.