ISLAMABAD: A two-day meeting of civil aviation director generals from developing countries which are part of the D-8 Organisation was inaugurated on Monday.

This is the 11th meeting of the director generals of civil aviation from these countries and the theme for the meeting is ‘Adding Wings to Economic Growth and Social Uplift in D-8 Countries’.

Speaking on the occasion, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan stressed on the need for fostering sustained, peaceful and unifying ties among all member states in order to improve the economies and standards of living in D-8 countries.

Mr Khan said the new Islamabad International Airport will be inaugurated in the first quarter of 2018 and that construction work on the Gwadar airport will be started in March next year.

He told participants that there has been a complete revamping of the air navigation system and briefed them about the up-grading and extension of civil airports and the acquisition state-of-the-art security equipment. Radars with increased coverage are being installed along with ADS-B systems, he said, and that the installation will be completed by mid-2018.

He said Multan International Airport has been expanded and new boarding bridges have been installed at Jinnah International Airport Karachi. The expansion of Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore is scheduled to start next year while up-gradation work is ongoing in the Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar and those in Quetta and Faisalabad.

DG Civil Aviation Authority retired Air Marshal Asim Suleiman emphasised on strengthening the cooperation through coordinated, integrated and allied collaboration among D-8 members in civil aviation. He said it is essential to progress globally from ‘developing’ to ‘developed’ civil aviation activities and highlighted that joint safety and security are the key areas where the forum must play its part.

D-8 Organisation Secretary General Syed Ali Mohammad Mousavi in his keynote address highlighted the increased role of D-8 countries in improving the economic position of member states.

Participants of the meeting also talked about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under which several new economic and industrial zones are being established in various parts of Pakistan. This will lead to increased domestic and international flights as well as an increase in passenger and cargo services which will boost civil aviation in the region.

The meeting is being attended by the secretary aviation and industry participants from the D-8 countries and CEOs of the aerospace industry, airlines and other major stakeholders in the field of aviation. It will conclude on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2017