RAWALPINDI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has decided to reinstate the Rs600 aerodrome and air navigation facility charge on domestic flights. CAA spokesman Saad Bin Ayub said the authority had levied the charge for domestic flights on May 15, 2019, for two years to facilitate aviation growth in Pakistan.

He said the same was reinstated on May 5, 2021. But after airline operators expressed their inability to implement the charge on a short notice, the CAA extended the date to May 21, 2021.

Of the Rs600, the CAA will charge Rs500 as the embarkation and Rs100 as the security fee. All airlines operating domestic flights have been informed by the CAA to collect the charge from customers at the time of booking a ticket.

Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started two weekly flights from Karachi to Zhob and the first flight departed for Zhob on Tuesday morning, PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said.

A ceremony was held at Jinnah International Airport Karachi before the departure of the flight.PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik said it was a long-standing demand of Karachiites and the business community to start flights to Zhob.

The Karachi-Zhob flights will be operated every Tuesday and Friday, the spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2021