ISLAMABAD: The aviation regulator has directed airlines operating in Pakistan to comply with adequate safety rules on all flights to and from airports in the United Arab Emirates, warning a failure to do so will lead to suspension of permission to operate flights on the route, among other penalties.
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), in a notification issued over the weekend, noted the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the sheikhdom had shared two safety assessments of foreign aircraft (SAFA) reports containing violations of the Safety Decision 2020-20 committed by airline operators.
“The conditions of operation to UAE airports are very clearly enunciated for the operators, but despite that clarity […] non-compliance by the operators with regards to only one row of seats in the cabin for isolating infected passenger(s) with insufficient distance of one metre and not using full PPE (personal protective equipment) by cabin crew [has been pointed out],” the notification read.
“Such violations are ignominious not only for the operator but also for the state and the regulator.”
The PCAA warned if airline operators failed to comply with the GCAA regulations, it would take sterner action which would include, but not limited to, the withdrawal of permission to operate flights to and from UAE airports.
According to the so-called Safety Decision, an isolation area — three rows in the back at least — should be assigned at the back of the aircraft for suspected Covid-19 cases.
Cabin crews are mandated to wear face shields or goggles, masks, gloves during service and disposable gowns as minimum requirements, the guidelines said.
