Seven global firms eye airport outsourcing plan

The government’s move to outsource the country’s airports has attracted the interest of seven international companies.

According to sources, companies based in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, UAE, Malaysia and Turkiye have expressed their willingness to participate in the privatisation process.

The aviation ministry authorities have been entrusted with the responsibilities to deal with the matter.
Under the outsourcing plan, they will hold virtual meetings with Pakistani ambassadors stationed in the countries of interest to brief them comprehensively on the privatisation plan. The briefing aims to provide the envoys with detailed insights into the outsourcing plans and foster productive discussions with the potential investors.

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Domestic investors have also been encouraged to actively participate in the bidding process alongside global ones.

Ina related development, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have expressed their interest in purchasing the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is grappling with a plethora of crises.

According to sources, investors from the Gulf region have engaged in discussions with high-ranking officials on the acquisition of the PIA.

Currently, the airports managed by the CAA are facing issues including reduced efficiency, slow commercial activities, customer dissatisfaction, etc.

Last year, the government divided the CAA into to two separate entities, creating a Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA).

The government’s segregation plan included outsourcing of different airports of the country in two phases. The first phase encompassed the corporatisation of the airports for attracting private investors.
The second phase envisaged the completion of this transaction by involving the Privatisation Commission and appointing financial advisers as well as investment banking firms.

Separately, Azerbaijan Airlines will start its flights to Karachi from next month as Islamabad and Baku have decided to increase cooperation between them in the field of aviation.

In this context, Azerbaijan Airlines has announced expanding its network for Pakistan.

According to sources, Azerbaijan Airlines is expected to operate its first flight from Baku to Karachi on April 18.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has already given permission to Azerbaijan Airlines to operate flights on the Karachi route.

After receiving the permission, Azerbaijan Airlines will now operate direct flights between Baku and Karachi.

Karachi will be the third route for Azerbaijan Airlines in Pakistan. It is already operating flights to Islamabad and Lahore.