In an effort to attract foreign airline operations to Pakistan and to curtail the security risks, the government has decided to install 39 hold or hand baggage Scanning Machines in airports across the country worth Rs. 3.277 billion.
According to the sources, the projects will be installed in six airports across Pakistan, including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit Baltistan.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will be the sponsoring/execution agency of the project and it wants the replacement/upgradation of 21 Hold Baggage Scanning Machines and 18 Hand Baggage Scanning machines all over the country at International Airports.
Moreover, the scope of the project comprises procurement/installation of Dual View/Computed Tomography (CT) Hold & Hand Baggage Scanning Machines at Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) Karachi, Quetta International Airport, Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIAP) Lahore, Faisalabad International Airport, Skardu Airport, Gwadar International Airport, Head Quarters, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (Pak-CAA) and Head Quarters, Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA).
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High-quality screening machines are required to be installed at international airports to ensure safe travel to/from Pakistan. These machines are deployed for screening out hold and hand baggage of passengers; the purpose is to detect hazardous materials at an early stage to minimize security risks.
In addition, the airports are also inspected by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other security agencies like and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) to make sure that the required security standards are being implemented. These Scanning machines not only ensure the security of Airports, but the safety of passengers as well as Air movements are at the top priority.
The reliability factor of screening passengers will increase after the installation of new machines. This will enhance the trust of airline operators regarding the security of passengers & baggage handling system.
Secure airports will attract foreign airlines to start operations to/from Pakistan and would generate economic activity to benefit CAA and Pakistan.
