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       RAWALPINDI: A three-member team from the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport (DST) concluded an aviation security ins-pection at Islamabad Inter-nat-ional Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”, a spokesman for the Airport Security Force said.

       The team arrived on July 8 for a th---ree-day aviation security inspection.

       Accompanied by a representative of the British High Commission, the UK team began its assessment with an inaugural meeting attended by the Chief Security Officer and all relevant airport stakeholders.

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       “All aviation security stakeholders including PAA officials, ASF personnel, and representatives from PIA, British Airways, Air Blue, Kitchen Cuisine, Ras Menzies and others attended the initial briefing,” the PCAA said.

       Saudi auditors to assess seven major airports next month

       The inspection focused on security deployment, internal controls, scre-ening procedures, issuance of passes, vehicle and staff checks, CCTV operations, perimeter security, deployment of quick response forces, drone arrangements, and the ASF’s emergency response capabilities.

       The team also reviewed catering and flight operations.

       At the conclusion of the visit, the UK inspectors commended the efforts of the Airports Security Force to ensure safe air travel.

       Saudi visit soon

       Meanwhile, a Saudi aviation security team is scheduled to conduct a security audit of seven major Pakistani airports—including Isla-mabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Multan—starting in August, according to PCAA spokesperson Shahid Qadir.

       “Director General of Saudi Ara-bia’s General Authority of Civil Av--iation (GACA) has approached Pa--kistan’s DG PCAA, Nadir Shafi Dar, to conduct an aviation security au--dit of seven Pakistani airports,” PCAA spokesperson Shahid Qadir said. “A Saudi aviation security team will visit Pakistan in August and October to conduct the audit,” he added.

       The Saudi team will coordinate closely with the Directorate of Aviation Security (AvSec) of the PCAA, which will host the visiting delegation. The audits come as Pakistan’s civil aviation sector shows marked improvement in international benchmarks.

       Pakistan achieved a score of 86.73 per cent in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Uni-versal Security Audit Programme (USAP), significantly higher than the global average of 71pc and India’s 73pc, according to the CAA.

       Direct US flights

       PCAA Director General Nadir Shafi Dar, a veteran aviation specialist, has also initiated engagement with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in pursuit of direct flight operations to the United States.

       The move follows the recent restoration of flights to the European Union and progress toward re-entry into the United Kingdom’s aviation network.

       Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2025