Islamabad
The Civil Aviation Authority is arranging an award ceremony in the federal capital on Monday to grant the first-ever Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration (TPRI) license to a private charter company.
The TPRI was launched under the National Aviation Policy 2019 that was introduced last year to boost domestic aviation industry, besides attracting private investment for the improvement of the national carrier’s financial health.
The TPRI license, aimed at generating tourism opportunities across country, would ensure facilitation of Ease of Doing Business, reduction in the Cost of Doing Business and provision of affordable tourism opportunities to the investors, said a press release on Sunday.
Secretary Aviation/Director General Civil Aviation Authority, Hassan Nasir Jamy had earlier approved the award of the TPRI on completion of all codal formalities.
Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan would award the tourism promotion license to M/S Aircraft Sales and Services.
The salient features of TPRI included no landing, housing and air navigation charges at both ends routes/destination.
The TPRI license would be issued within 60 days with validity of five years.
There would be no rent for aeronautical services, office space at specified airports. Special rules would be applicable for the TPRI licensee to operate between trunk/primary routes.
Tax incentives may be provided to the TPRI licensee by the Federal Board of Revenue for the ‘Socio-Economic’ routes.
The TPRI license would be required in addition to Charter license for carrying out commuter operation on those routes. TPRI operators can operate on socio economic routes with aircrafts having upto 40 seats capacity. M/S Aircraft Sales and Services (Pvt.) Ltd. (ASSL) intended to commence its Tourism Promotion flights with three aircraft fleet including Beech – 1900 D, Cessna F-406 and King Air 250.
The company is expected to induct two additional larger aircraft (i.e. 02 Embraer E-145 with seating capacity of 50 each) in the near future.
The company will operate from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad as hub stations with flights to Gawadar, Turbat, Moen-jo-Daro, Gilgit and Skardu.—APP
