RAWALPINDI: Due to the unavailability of a flight kitchen at the New Islamabad International Airport, the PIA management will have to transport thousands of meal packets from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) to the new facility in catering trucks every day.

Since catering service has a strong link with airport security, the PIA management will have to arrange strict security to ensure that nothing unwantedis broughtinto the catering carts during their transportation to the new airport covering at a distance of 50 kilometres.

The new airport is scheduled to become operational on April 20.The PIA flight kitchen, which is located at the BBIA, prepares 5,000 to 6,000 meals per day for the national flag carrier`s international and domestic as well as VVIP flights. In addition, the kitchen also prepares meal for Air China`s flights operating from Islamabad.

Prime Minister`s Adviser on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Abbasi had recently said till the establishment of a flight kitchen at the new airport the old flight kitchen at the BBIA would be catering to the flights from the new airport.

Special chiller trucks will be used for transporting meal packets to the new airport, he added.

Some officials related to the flight kitchen have raised concerns over the transportation of thousands of meal packets to the new airport from the BBIA due to its long distance.

It needs to be ensured that nothing unwanted is brought onto any aircraf t via the catering carts, they maintained.

When PIA spokesman Mashood Tajwar was contacted, he said the PIA would be following the same practice of transporting food itemsfrom the old airport`s flight kitchen to the new airport as other airlines that also had no food producing units of their own.

However, he could not explain why a flight kitchen was not built before the inauguration of the airport and just said: `Definitely it will be set up very soon.

He said after transportation, the meal for international and domestic flights will be placed at a transitory area specified at the new airport to further shift them onto the aircraf t.

The same standard operating procedure regarding monitoring and security checking of the catering carts from the kitchen to aircraft will be followed as per the previous practice.

`Right from the flight kitchen to the aircraft, security officials will be watchful that no prohibited items such as knives, drugs, contraband and dangerous materials are taken to any plane,` he said adding: `Catering carts carrying meal will be inspected by specially trained security personnel and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) staff before being transported to the new airport. The security personnel will also escort the trucks to prevent any interference from outside.

He said though there wouldbesome difficultiesin transportation the same would be faced by other airlines as well, Mr Tajwar said.

According to sources, two plots have been allocated for the setting up of a flight kitchen at the new airport but it would take time to construct the building.

On an emergency basis, two chillers and other f acilities are needed at the new airport to maintain the quality of meal and its freshness.

The PIA flight kitchen staff had already faced investigations after the smuggling of drug on a PIA flight from Islamabad to Heathrow in May 2017. Therefore, they were more concerned over the security of shif ting meal to the new airport and to ensure that no unlawful interference and criminal act happen.

However, an of ficial of the airline said prior to being loaded on the catering trucks, the carts were properly sealed and forms signed by the security and ANF officials. And the catering trucks carrying meal and other service items are also subjected to inspection and monitoring by security officials.