Punjab hands Gulfstream G-500 operations to Pakistan Air Force

Punjab's provincial cabinet has approved transferring operational control and maintenance of the government's Gulfstream G-500 aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force, together with a draft agreement that sets out how the arrangement will work. The Nation reported the approval, citing official documents obtained by Dunya News.

The documents say the provincial government's VIP Flight Wing ran into technical difficulties operating and maintaining the aircraft because its in-house capacity was limited.

The jet's advanced systems require specialised technical knowledge, trained staff and modern infrastructure, according to the documents, and the air force has those resources. After consultations, the VIP Flight Wing proposed handing operational and maintenance responsibility to the PAF so that flights remained safe and the aircraft stayed ready for use.

The aircraft has been deregistered with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, and the PAF has assigned it a tail number, the documents state.

Three serving PAF pilots have been deputed to the Punjab government and are carrying out flight operations in coordination with the provincial government's own pilots.

The cabinet approved the transfer of operational control and maintenance, the deregistration and the allocation of the tail number by the air force.

The proposed memorandum of understanding between the two sides covers maintenance, technical responsibilities and financial matters. The Additional Secretary of the Welfare, Services and General Administration Department has been authorised to sign the agreement for the provincial government.

The arrangement is intended to keep the aircraft operating safely, make it available around the clock and maintain its operational readiness.

UrduPoint reported the cabinet approval, referring to the aircraft only as a Gulfstream jet, without naming the model or giving the details of the arrangement carried by The Nation.