Larkana court orders CAA to restore flights from Mohenjo Daro airport

[Karachi Aviator]

LARKANA: The Larka­­na circuit bench of the Sindh High Court has directed the Civil Aviation Authority to immediately enforce its earlier order passed on March 9, 2022, asking the authority to restore flights to and from Mohenjo Daro Airport, and submit compliance report.

A constitutional bench comprising Justices Mohammad Saleem Jessar and Adnan-ul-Karim Memon issued the directive here the other day while hearing three identical petitions filed between 2017 and 2019.

The petitioners Advocate Sajjid Hussain Mahesar (Constitutional Petition No.D-922, 2017), Advocate Imdad Ali Mashori (CP No.D-959, 2017) and Advocate Rafique Ahmed Abro (CP No.146, 2019) requested the court order resumption of PIA flights at Mohenjo Daro Airport.

Despite having promised to restore full services, the PIA violated its commitment and suspended flights at Mohenjo Daro Airport on Nov 22, 2018, which had not since been restored, according to Mr Mahesar.

The bench stressed that the federal government (aviation division) must explain why compensation for the [suspended] routes [to and from Mohenjo Daro] had not been determined, and submit a report.

The court ordered director general of the CAA to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine designated airlines for Mohenjo Daro Airport as a secondary route, their actual service delivery and the CAA’s obligations in cases of non-compliance.

The petitioners said that Mohenjo Daro Airport suffered from infrequent and unreliable PIA flights, despite prior court order, while private airlines had reportedly been prevented from operating at the airport.

They requested the court to mandate two PIA flights daily between Larkana and Karachi, and sought authorisation for private airlines to operate flights on Mohenjo Daro-Larkana route by restoring the old Sukkur via Menara Airport route.

Advocate Balosch A. Junejo, who represented the CAA and Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), explained the recent division of the CAA into three entities: the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (regulator), the PAA (airport operations and air navigation) and an air accident investigation body.

He confirmed the Mohenjo Daro Airport met the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standards. Its runway was suitable for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, subject to weight limits, he said, adding the airport had a history of supporting Boeing 737 operations and over 50 years of PIA service, demonstrating its regional importance.

Advocate Irfan Ali Soomro, who appeared on behalf of PIA, pledged to restart flights, after internal discussions, from Mohenjo Daro to northern cities within a week.

As the CAA report showed private airlines were not operating required socio-economic routes, and the authority admitted to enforcement failure, the court ordered immediate enforcement and submission of compliance report.

Established in 1967, Mohenjo Daro Airport was the third busiest in the province and it used to handle five weekly PIA passenger flights, two charter flights and various non-scheduled and VIP/VVIP flights before its operation was halted without reasonable justification.

The bench said that in order to address public inconvenience in Larkana, the court mandated the Director General of the CAA to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine the designated airlines for Mohenjo Daro Airport as a secondary route, their actual service delivery and the CAA’s obligations in cases of non-compliance.

The order said that a report be submitted to the court’s sub-registrar within a month and officials from PIA and CAA were required to attend the next hearing on April 9, 2025.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1901382

[Averagespotter]

Hyderabad is probably the most important airport in Sindh after Karachi (maybe even sukkur). Cant understand why that airport is left to shambles. Hyderabad is to Karachi what Sialkot is to Lahore: a low cost alternative airport to distribute passenger demand. Mohenjo Daro probably isn't that important in terms of passanger numbers.

[danyal77W]

I agree, there should be domestic flights from Hyderabad to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta, just like from Karachi.

The domestic network of Pakistan is just so weak and in a sad state of affair.

Can you imagine that between two cities which have a total of 35+ million population, no airline is able to operate more than three daily flights. I am talking about Karachi and Lahore.

PIA operates two daily, Fly Jinnah operates three daily, Serene air operates 2/3 WEEKLY, airblue operates two daily, and Air sial operates double daily flight, which is still
quite low.

Similar examples can be provided for city pairs where are having greater number of flights everyday and similat combined population are (almost 30+ daily flights) Mumbai-Delhi, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Jeddah-Riyadh, Istanbul-Ankara.

[HassanKhan]

I agree, there should be domestic flights from Hyderabad to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta, just like from Karachi.

The domestic network of Pakistan is just so weak and in a sad state of affair.

Can you imagine that between two cities which have a total of 35+ million population, no airline is able to operate more than three daily flights. I am talking about Karachi and Lahore.

PIA operates two daily, Fly Jinnah operates three daily, Serene air operates 2/3 WEEKLY, airblue operates two daily, and Air sial operates double daily flight, which is still
quite low.

Similar examples can be provided for city pairs where are having greater number of flights everyday and similat combined population are (almost 30+ daily flights) Mumbai-Delhi, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Jeddah-Riyadh, Istanbul-Ankara.

All of these city pairs you mentioned are in high income economies. Many Pakistanis don't have the means to travel by air (or at all.) Middle class travel in Pakistan is usually related to work and is sponsored by their respective companies. This obviously does not happen a lot. From the 35 million+ people living in karachi and Lahore, I can say confidently that atleast 60-70% are living cheque to cheque and can not save up to travel. This is not the case for countries like Japan, Saudi, Turkey and even India where air travel is becoming very accessible.

Another minor thing that comes to mind is that FJ and AS are all limited by the amount of jets they have, both airlines plan on leasing more so maybe they will increase LHE-KHI and KHI-LHE frequencies when they get new jets

Edit: accidentally submitted before I finished writing

[amjid84]

I agree, there should be domestic flights from Hyderabad to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta, just like from Karachi.

The domestic network of Pakistan is just so weak and in a sad state of affair.

Can you imagine that between two cities which have a total of 35+ million population, no airline is able to operate more than three daily flights. I am talking about Karachi and Lahore.

PIA operates two daily, Fly Jinnah operates three daily, Serene air operates 2/3 WEEKLY, airblue operates two daily, and Air sial operates double daily flight, which is still
quite low.

Similar examples can be provided for city pairs where are having greater number of flights everyday and similat combined population are (almost 30+ daily flights) Mumbai-Delhi, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Jeddah-Riyadh, Istanbul-Ankara.

All of these city pairs you mentioned are in high income economies. Many Pakistanis don't have the means to travel by air (or at all.)

Correct!

With the cost of airfares around 20K One-Way, this is out of reach for many. So although there are 35 Million people when combining Lahore & Karachi populations, sadly their income is very low.

[b78709]

Courts have no better way of humiliating themselves. CAA is not an airways by itself.

How the heck CAA can enforce these orders from a supposedly learned judge?

[HassanKhan]

CAA can ask PIA to perform Socio-economic routes. That's why Karachi-Gwadar is being operated even though it's probably not profitable.

[PIAYYZ]

I agree, there should be domestic flights from Hyderabad to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta, just like from Karachi.

The domestic network of Pakistan is just so weak and in a sad state of affair.

Can you imagine that between two cities which have a total of 35+ million population, no airline is able to operate more than three daily flights. I am talking about Karachi and Lahore.

PIA operates two daily, Fly Jinnah operates three daily, Serene air operates 2/3 WEEKLY, airblue operates two daily, and Air sial operates double daily flight, which is still
quite low.

Similar examples can be provided for city pairs where are having greater number of flights everyday and similat combined population are (almost 30+ daily flights) Mumbai-Delhi, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Jeddah-Riyadh, Istanbul-Ankara.

All of these city pairs you mentioned are in high income economies. Many Pakistanis don't have the means to travel by air (or at all.) Middle class travel in Pakistan is usually related to work and is sponsored by their respective companies. This obviously does not happen a lot. From the 35 million+ people living in karachi and Lahore, I can say confidently that atleast 60-70% are living cheque to cheque and can not save up to travel. This is not the case for countries like Japan, Saudi, Turkey and even India where air travel is becoming very accessible.

Another minor thing that comes to mind is that FJ and AS are all limited by the amount of jets they have, both airlines plan on leasing more so maybe they will increase LHE-KHI and KHI-LHE frequencies when they get new jets

Edit: accidentally submitted before I finished writing

This is not 1978 where mass air travel is new and operated by petrol guzzling tri and quad jets. This is 2025….where 737 Max can cross oceans now. The price of an airline tickets nowadays is almost equivalent to that of rail or bus in some countries, whereas in Pakistan the costs are extraordinarily high.

The distance between Karachi-Lahore is no difference then Beijing-Shanghai, yet the cost is a day and night difference.

Domestic aviation scene in Pakistan is non-existent, very much like the mindset of the country. Everything revolves around leaving Pakistan….even primary schooling revolves around this….why is it English medium private schools flourish? Because that’s all Pakistanis want to do….run away abroad.

The way I’ve seen PIA devolve down is just a microcosm of the entire state of Pakistan right now. Thugs and crooks at the top, refusing to nation build and a population devoid of any self respect, always looking for ways to get out…..and then to do what? Sit in squalor in Dubai or Jeddah.

May Allah have mercy on Pakistan….beautiful land and history, cursed with the WORST people on the planet.