ISLAMABAD: The aviation industry’s governing body has exposed a mega corruption scandal involving the sale of land at Lahore’s Walton airport, alleging that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) undersold the valuable land.
The land at Walton Airport, valued at Rs350 billion, was sold in return for a rural area near Mureedke and Rs50 billion, according to a letter from the Aircraft Owners & Operators Association (AOOA) Pakistan to federal Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif.
In a letter addressed to Federal Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif, AOOA Pakistan’s General Secretary, Wing Commander (Retd) Muhammad Nawaz Asim, accused the CAA of violating regulations in the sale. Asim lamented that out of the Rs50 billion, only Rs1 billion found its way into the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s accounts, suggesting rampant corruption within the authority.
Asim raised concerns over the collaboration between land mafias, the CAA director general, and government officials in the destruction of the historic airport. He called for a thorough investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and judicial intervention, denouncing the Walton gate scandal as emblematic of the CAA officials’ malfeasance, which jeopardizes Pakistan’s aviation industry.
Furthermore, Asim questioned the beneficiaries of the land sale agreement, urging authorities to identify those complicit in the corruption. He emphasized the significance of Walton airport, where Quaid-e-Azam landed in 1947, highlighting its symbolic value as a national asset now endangered by greed and mismanagement.
It’s worth noting that in 2021, the CAA announced the permanent closure of Lahore’s oldest airport, Walton, with plans to replace it with a business hub. However, the Lahore High Court later intervened, ordering the restoration of flight operations at the Lahore Flying Club, Walton Airport, following a government commitment to assess the relocation process within a specific timeframe.
