Muddled affairs

Imagine passengers’ agony, who braved shivering cold and mismanagement at the Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore due to the alleged negligence of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). There were scenes of utter chaos at the airport on Sunday when the PCAA scheduled 13 flights for different destinations at a time. There is a need to implement strict regulations to govern the affairs at the airports and flight schedules. The incident is just one in a series of incidents that have tarnished the image of the aviation authority in the past. Delayed flights, near mishaps, overloaded aircraft, pilots reportedly flying in a state of inebriation, crude behaviour by cabin crew, lackadaisical in-flight service, rundown interiors, and complaints about substandard food have become its hallmark.

For the last two decades, PIA and CAA have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Every time, a scandal comes to the fore, fingers are raised at the performance of the concerned departments and the top hierarchy that are looking after the affairs of these institutions. After a string of blunders and mismanagement, the PCAA must show it can do a better job. In the above scandal, the PCAA is responsible for the mismanagement and is answerable to the nation. Why did the PCAA officials show negligence in making schedule of 13 flights at a single time? When will the concerned institutions take responsibility for their misdeeds? A proper inquiry should be held keeping in consideration the serious mismanagement and troubles faced by travelers. More serious efforts on part of the concerned authorities are needed to work out ways and means to keep national entities free from scams, especially those that tarnish their image at the international level. At the national level, the government needs to snap a run of embarrassing blunders and mismanagement and take necessary measures to salvage the general public.