The year 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Air Traffic Control (ATC), and as the aviation world celebrates the occasion, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) lauded its air traffic controllers (ATCs) in a well-attended ceremony held in a local hotel.
The chief guest, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, in his keynote address, dwelled on the overall aviation landscape and the challenges faced by it in the wake of the pandemic. The Senator expressed concern over continued flight restrictions imposed on Pakistan airlines but praised Civil Aviation’s strenuous efforts for the removal of restrictions, strongly hoping that our airlines would soon be flying out to the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and elsewhere.
The Senator stressed the need for more female representation to make air traffic control a more gender-balanced profession. He also suggested working toward ATC exchange programs with friendly countries for insights into their best practices for mutual understanding and more globally aware and adaptable ATCs.
In their keynote addresses, Director Operations Akhter Mirza and Director Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI) Sumair Saeed explained how just a select few make it to the control tower and make up the backbone of civil aviation. They discussed how technology is revolutionizing the ATC profession and how it is absolutely imperative that we keep pace with such developments to continue to be among the very best ones.
Moreover, a mini-documentary was part of the ceremony that showed the ATCs in action as they guided the air traffic in and out of the country’s airspace and the allied inner workings of an airport’s control tower. In his message in the documentary, Director General Khaqan Murtaza congratulated ATCs on the occasion and praised them for being one of the key pillars of civil aviation operations.
While concluding the event, commemorative shields were presented to high-ranking civil aviation officers and guests, acknowledging their achievements for the advancement of the organization. ATCs were also awarded lifetime achievement awards for their meritorious services, and commemorative retiree shields were presented to retired ATCs in honor of their services too. The participants also remembered the deceased Ahmed Mujtaba, a proud ace air traffic controller, who was lost in a road accident while he was traveling from Lahore to return to work in Karachi.
Former Additional Director General (ADG) PCAA Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Arshad Jamal was present, as were other civil aviation officials such as Director Operations Akhter Mirza, Director CATI Sumair Saeed, Director of Directorate Airspace and Aerodrome Regulations (DAAR) Iftikhar Ahmed, and others.
