Pakistan's Senate Standing Committee on Defense has expressed support for the expansion of new regional carrier South Air to northern destinations, dismissing objections from aviation authorities that the airline was licensed only to serve underserved southern regions. The decision came during a meeting on Wednesday where aviation authorities and South Air management clashed over claims that the airline has shifted from its original mandate of improving connectivity in southern Pakistan to more profitable northern routes.
Background of the Dispute
South Air Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mohsin Jamil informed the committee that the airline was originally tourism-focused and currently operates two ATR-72 aircraft on wet-lease from Italy and the Maldives, with plans to add an ATR-42. He explained that restrictions from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), due to security concerns, prevent Italian crew from flying into Balochistan, a province marred by militancy. As a result, one aircraft operates northern routes between Islamabad, Gilgit, and Chitral, while the other continues serving Balochistan routes including Karachi, Gwadar, Quetta, Turbat, and Panjgur.
“We are looking to provide essential transportation services to law enforcement agencies given the security situation in Balochistan,” Jamil told the committee.
Defense Secretary's Concerns
The explanation failed to satisfy Defense Secretary Lt. Gen (retd) Muhammad Ali, who said South Air had secured expedited approvals by promising to connect regions long underserved by commercial airlines. “As the name South in South Air suggests, they have made us believe that they would operate in southern Pakistan, where other airlines do not fly,” Ali told lawmakers. “Based on that commitment, we expedited their approval procedures, but now they are backtracking.”
He emphasized that Pakistan needs reliable regional carriers for remote routes like Gwadar, Nawabshah, Panjgur, and Sukkur, rather than focusing only on tourist hubs. Ali proposed hiring Pakistani crew if foreign pilots refuse certain destinations. Jamil replied that the Italian crew cannot be replaced due to the wet-lease agreement covering aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance as a package.
Senate Committee's Ruling
The Senate committee ultimately backed the airline, with Senator Farooq H. Naik stating that South Air's name should not restrict where it operates. “American airline does not operate only in America and Pakistan Airline does not operate within the country so if the airline is named South Air, it does not restrict it operate only in South,” Naik said during the meeting.
Committee Chairman Senator Talha Mahmood also supported the airline's plan to operate flights to northern destinations, especially Chitral, which he said has long been neglected by carriers.
South Air's Future Plans
Despite differing views, South Air said its long-term strategy is to improve connectivity to underserved airports across Pakistan. “Our focus is to operate at under-served airports,” Jamil said. “We want to operate in under-served areas of Pakistan.”
South Air expects to begin commercial flights to Chitral and Skardu by the end of June, pending final regulatory approval. It launched its first trial flight service from Karachi to Gwadar in May.
Aviation officials told the committee that safety standards should not be compromised, urging that all mandatory procedures be completed before operations begin.
