A farewell luncheon was hosted in the honour of outgoing Federal Secretary for Aviation Sqn. Ldr (Retd) Muhammad Irfan Elahi in Islamabad on Friday. Advisor to Prime Minister on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Abbasi was the host and acting DG CAA along with other senior officials of the PIA and Aviation Division were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the farewell luncheon, Sardar Mahtab paid tributes to the outgoing Federal Secretary and said that he thoroughly performed his duties and responsibilities with commitment adding that the services rendered by him would be long remembered. He said that the way outgoing secretary guided and encouraged the subordinates were highly praiseworthy.
During his farewell address, Muhammad Irfan Elahi said that the period he spent in Aviation Division was the best period of his service and he was proud of it. He asked the officers to work hard with full devotion in order to maintain the standards of the department.
Irfan Illahi not only served as the federal secretary of aviation but also served as acting chairman and later chairman of PIA, a position he currently holds. He played a decisive role in pulling the airline back normalcy during two major crises that hit the airline. The strike ending in the deaths of 3 PIA staffers to the crash of PIA ATR on Chitral Islamabad flight. He also played important role in the National Aviation Policy 2015 and then it’s reviewed version that is still somewhere under debate.
The prime minister of Pakistan has given the additional charge of secretary aviation to Mirza Sohail Amir until the vacancy is filled.