The government has relaxed Aviation Policy terms to renew the Charter License Class-II of K2 Airways.
The private airline had received the license in 2018 under the National Aviation Policy (NAP) 2015, which was renewed in September 2019 following approval from the federal cabinet. However, the license expired in September 2021.
Under the NAP 2019, an operator requires to obtain Air Operator Certificate (AOC) within two years of the date of issuance.
If an operator fails to do so, it is fined 10 percent of the total security deposit as non-conformance charges, while the remaining deposit is refunded. A fresh application requires a new security deposit, which in this case is Rs. 10 million.
However, the UAE-origin airline was granted special relaxation under NAP 2019 terms for the renewal of its Charter License.
A cabinet meeting held on 12 October with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair discussed the matter at length. A representative of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) apprised the meeting as to why the K2 Airways (Pvt) Limited failed to obtain AOC within the stipulated time.
“The airline could not obtain the AOC within the validity of its certificate, initially due to indecision about its operational plan and lately due to the disruption in the aviation sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the official told the cabinet.
The CAA official said that the airline was now preparing its engineering manuals, getting technical documentation done, and had also shared the aircraft Letter of Intent (LOI).
“Besides, K2 was in touch with the Airworthiness Directorate for Type Certification approval. The airline was finalizing its flight crew training in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in coordination with the flight standards of PCAA.”
Moreover, the airline had paid its security deposit in 100 percent cash, and its paid-up capital was also in accordance with NAP 2019.
The CAA official recommended that based on the efforts made by the airline to acquire AOC, provisions of NAP 2019 (para 4.3.1) should be relaxed to grant K2 Airways AOC till May 29, 2023.
The CAA recommendation was approved by the federal cabinet.
