What Made the New Islamabad Airport a Disaster?

We recently saw the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) admit to design flaws in the new Islamabad Airport and most of the blame was put on the international firm which made the design recommendation. However, new information reveals unbelievable facts about the people behind the disaster, i.e. new Islamabad Airport.

CAA has released its audit report for the new Islamabad Airport and if it’s to be believed, there is some shocking ignorance at work here. The report says that none of the 12 engineering consultants, who were hired look over the construction of new Islamabad Airport, hold an engineering degree.

None of the Engineering Consultants for the airport have an engineering degree.

What may seem like a far-fetched joke is that one of the consultants is a homeopathic doctor. A medical doctor would have had no clue of the workings of an airport, let alone a homeopathic one.

Furthermore, the rest of the panel consists of simple graduates or a few people with certificates in electrical or civil engineering. All of these 12 people were hired as Project Management Consultants (PMCs). The lead Project Manager doesn’t hold an engineering degree either, but a Master’s degree in Business Administration. The consultants have no relevance to an advanced and technical project like the construction of an airport.

Inefficient understanding of the consultants cost an extra Rs 19.3 billion

Tax Payers’ Money Wasted

According to the report presented by the DG Audit (Works) to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the lack of knowledge of these PMCs caused an overrun cost of Rs 19.39 billion to the project. That’s the money the public pays in taxes, wasted on novices who were hired as consultants. The audit report says that the estimated costs were Rs 36.8 billion. However, payments of Rs 56.25 billion have already been made.

Auditors note “different packages were awarded without due consideration… lack of coordination in execution of package and unsatisfactory performance of PMCs” which led to the poor execution of the project. A statement regarding the meeting of the departmental accounts committee (DAC) in February says “project management consultants failed to perform its contractual role with regard to coordination and execution of work on site.”

Read More: The Design Flaw Which Made The Islamabad Airport a Disaster

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also pointed out that the consultants did not have the qualifications required for such a crucial job. FIA investigated the heads of the project management consultants and found they were not engineers either. It was the FIA which looked into the qualifications of the consultants and shared the information with the CAA audit authorities.

The Qualifications of the Consultants

Project Manager Bruce A. Thompson, holds a master’s degree in Business Administration. The matters of material engineering are handled by Basrullah Jan, a homeopathic doctor and a graduate in Arts. Planning consultant Atif Saeed is a B.Tech graduate from Preston University, which is not even recognised by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).

Deputy Project managers, Mucheal Henry Pottinger and Houn Dong Bark, are foreigners as well but are simple graduates. Qiangsong Guan, a planning manager, holds a B.Sc. degree.

The only verified engineer in the PMCs was a 76-year old engineer, Robert Fluhr. He had a BSc in Civil Engineering. The veteran retired from consultancy in 2012 but was brought back in 2014 for a short while before he left again. Engineering representative, James McClung’s degree was not even traceable, states the report.

The Dangers and Recommendations

The audit report recommends the Public Accounts Committee to “fix responsibility against the persons responsible for the improper planning and inefficient execution of work.” The PAC will discuss the audit report at the next meeting.

None of the consultants had any advanced qualification which would be required from an engineering consultant or a project manager for a complex project like the establishment of an airport. Not only was this ignorance responsible for flaws in the airport’s design, it has wasted billions of rupees of the tax payers’ money. Another point to consider would be the safety of the passengers since business managers and homeopathic doctors were the designers and engineers of this project.

Via: Dawn News

He is the Chief Content Officer at ProPakistani. Reach out at aadil.s[at]propakistani.pk


  • Hang them all, please. So that next time no-one dare to play with us.

  • musharraf dour me koi haramkhori nahi hui…
    To all supports
    hahahahahahahaha

    • So Musharraf government did the fraud and 5 years of PPP and 3 years of PMLN government didn’t notice this right in the capital? The big sharif even visited it twice, Ahsan Iqbal loves to share updates on this projects on his facebook regularly!

      Just another drama from the best drama queens! The shareeeefs!

      • Typical myopic bullshit reply from you Farhan.

        Musharraf did the same at AIIA reduced the size of the terminal building and gave alot of the land to his chums in the military who assisted in his coup, in Askari X Lahore.

        Musharraf and PPP did not even setup the roads or the water supply to the airport, how were the expecting passengers to get to the airport?

        Zardari also reduced the size of the terminal at this airport, it was supposed to have 15 gates for planes.Reduced it to 9 and said it would cost more in the process.

        PML N no saints either have at least steped up to the plate and gone with the original design for the terminal building.
        Correcting other peoples mistakes.

        Look bro no one is a saint but take everything in relation to the whole picture, not ones own views.

        • I’ve decided against wasting any part of my life explaining to noora fans! So you give yourself a thumbs up!

        • Wowwww.
          Musharraf reduced the size of terminal building in Islamabad, and gave that land to his chums in Lahore ?????
          Whhaatttt theeeee F***************

          Dude “myopic”, seems like you are a doctor trying to comment on an airport.

          • Dude read it again and I quote “Musharraf did the same at AIIA reduced the size of the terminal building and gave alot of the land to his chums in the military who assisted in his coup, in Askari X Lahore”

            PPP reducexd the terminal buliding size for the new airport in islamabad, dude

            Search the net for the original design for AIIA.

            I am not a doctor dude. Nor a optician dude. But a engineer, dude.

            Anything else?, dude

  • after Investigation what will happen nothing
    money wasted and let start next same project

  • i want my tax money back………… this is extremely sad and disappointing for me……… then our leaders expect from us to show patriotism…….. we want a public execution for those bastards who appointed them

  • Little knowledge is very dangerous, you need to re-study the project. Neither the project is a failure nor a blunder of hiring of non professional consultants exists. Louis Berger Group in collaboration with NESPAK and other consultants like AA associates, ADP etc all are professional consultant firms. You should be careful in posting such a non professional article which may disturb the overall image. I strongly disagree with your article.

    Also, such mindset is the only reason of non construction of Kala bagh dam so far.

  • An Airport project which took 11 years yet to complete in 2018, what else somebody can think abou tit, Lowari tunnel to be complete in 2010 started in 2005 yet to be finished in 2018. Neelum Jehlam to be done in 2010 yet now to be done in 2017.

    Each and every project is just delayed coz ther eis a corrouption everywhere. Masses are still supporting this government who is doing 90 days and 100 days projects in Lahore only but all over the country there is no check on any of the project.

  • Is it not a matter of shame for all those responsible sitting in the government. Mian sb and his team always have tall claims but the fact is that these people are incompitent and corrupt of highest order.


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >