A parliamentary committee was recently informed of Emirates refusing to use Pakistani airbridges after one collapsed last month, leaving two persons injured. The maintenance of the new airport has been called into question several times before as well and while the investigation is underway to understand what caused the problem, many are saying that it was a design flaw which has been detected at airports of Karachi and Peshawar as well. This means that the team finalising the purchases is not equipped with the understanding of the machinery and needs to be replaced to ensure such mishaps do not take place.
Emirates is a big airline and them declining to use our airbridges means we lost out on a lot of revenue and there is a great chance that many other airlines will follow suit. Safety standards need to be met in order to retain business and improve the quality of the services being provided to the passengers and the airlines as well. Such mishaps only reaffirm the narrative that Pakistani airlines and airports both require reforms because the standards of services are not improving.
There are also reports of involvement of many employees in smuggling and money laundering. An investigation needs to be carried out and law-abiding employees should be hired. The aim of creating this new airport was to build an international quality airport, especially if it is in the federal capital. If airlines such as Emirates do not believe that standards are being met, necessary amendments are required along with the intervention of relevant authorities. Initiatives can only be sustained if they are economically feasible and if this new airport does not generate the expected revenue, it is very likely that it will become another burden for the taxpayers.