Talking about the state-owned industrial or service ventures, PIA tops the list of loss-making entities
KARACHI: Talking about the state-owned industrial or service ventures, PIA tops the list of loss-making entities in the room along with the Pakistan Steel Mills, railways and others. Anyone who has happened to board the national airline can surely relate to the disastrous experience one is bound to have for varying reasons. Keeping aside the issues of mediocre service, stale food served to passengers on flight, the national carrier service has been generating losses worth billions. And now the service is planning on seeking another bailout package from the government with the Senate’s approval.
Moreover, scandals of drugs on flight, misconduct of its German CEO, staff and recent news of a missing plane later being found in Malta for shooting of a film, are a few issues that have earned the PIA authorities negative publicity. With other airlines operating on domestic and international routes offering far more economical pricing and packages, the national carrier has become the last resort for passengers for domestic and international travel. The PM, who himself owns a private commercial airline service, is striving to drag it out of massive losses the airline continues to drown in.
However, having the highest aircraft to employee ratio, closure of loss-making routes is among several options that can be considered to reduce these losses. And bailout packages causing irreparable damage to the exchequer shouldn’t be one of them.
Anum Ilyas
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2017.
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