PIA incurred Rs371b loss during 2009-19, NA told

Aviation division says loss-making routes will be privatised

ISLAMABAD: The aviation division presented details of the loss-making flight operations of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) during the last 10 years in the National Assembly on Thursday, which ran into billions of rupees.

PIA suffered a loss of Rs371.14 billion during 2009-19 period, adding that the airlines recruited 3,492 employees since 2010. At present, the PIA has 15,052 employees, out of which 11,284 employees are recruited on a regular basis.

The lawmakers were also informed that the process for the registration of the madrassas would begin in the first week of March, while the Federal Education Board presented details of the investment made in different banks.

Most of the losses sustained by the PIA on the flights for London. The house was informed that the national flag carrier suffered Rs1.99 billion losses on Lahore-London flights; Rs918.4 million on Islamabad-London route; Rs552 million on Karachi-London route, and Rs177 million on Sialkot-London flights.

Other loss-making operations include Rs747 million losses on flights from Pakistan to Paris and Barcelona and Rs207 million on flights from Oslo to Pakistan and Rs738 million on Beijing to Pakistan route, the lawmakers were told. The airlines sustained Rs550 loss on flights for Toronto.

Damam-Sialkot route incurred a loss of Rs27 million Karachi to Damam flights Rs49 million; Turbat-Muscat flight Rs88 million; Turbat-Sharjah Rs66 million; Quetta-Jeddah flights Rs10 million; Faisalabad-Jeddah flights Rs129 million; Sialkot-Riyadh Rs32 million, and Islamabad-Jeddah route Rs580 million, according to the written reply.

During the proceedings, Shahid Rehmani demanded that parliamentarians should be allocated quota on PIA flights. However, Parliamentary Secretary Capt (retd) Jamil said such a quota could not be allocated. Parliamentary Secretary for aviation said that the loss-making routes would be privatised.

Responding to another question, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said that the registration process of the madrassas will started in the first week of March. “Registration forms have been prepared with the consent of the education ministry and Itehad-e-Tanzeematul Madaris,” he added.

The cabinet division informed the house that the law about dual citizenship did not apply to prime minister's special assistants. Currently, the prime minister as 13 advisers, with the status of minister of state.

Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions Shehryar Afridi informed the National Assembly that the government has launched "Zindagi" App to create awareness among the youth about the hazardous effects of synthetic drug penetration.

Federal Education Board has presented the details of the investment made in different banks in National Assembly, which states that the Federal Board has made these investments from 2009 to August 2020.

Maulvi Abdul Shakoor stressed the need for taking guidance from religious seminary teachers, saying that that there was no smoking in the madrasas. Afridi said that in a seminary, a scholar told students to use “this drug to sharpen your memory”.

On that, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal members protested against Afridi, asking him to name the madrassa and the teacher. However, Shafqat Mahmood intervened and said that Afridi had not named any madrasa. Afridi said that he would present the media report about the incident.