A committee is being formed to address the issues and challenges being faced by PIA. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday constituted a four-member committee to work on the restructuring and reformation of the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The decision was taken at a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office and was chaired by Nawaz himself.
The meeting detailed the challenges being faced by PIA and sought to identify ways those challenges could be met.
Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Advisor on Aviation Captain Shujaat Azeem, Shaukat Fayyaz Ahmed Tarin and Naveed Malik were nominated as the members of the newly-formed committee.
The Prime Minister directed the committee to come up with proposals and recommendations for the airlines in the next meeting.
Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khakan Abbasi were also present.
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Sad too see a successful business ruined in just 2 years. You people have no Idea how much assets PIA has rite now (Within Pakistan and overall the world assets). If you count it will go like 7 to 8 billion USD. No one can pay such huge amount in Pakistan. If privatize it then do it in open market so we get the fair value of it.
@shakil: I'm also hardworking and honest. Make me the head! This is called nepotism. Was there an advertisement? What was the selection procedure?
Doesn't need any committee to look into it - its needs to be privatised
I know shujat azeem from my days in saudi. I can vouch that he is a hardworking and honest person. I'm a pti supporter but I know shujat saab will do a good job. I learnd today that he has already resigned from from all other companies which might cause a conflict of interest. I don't know about the other members or bow competent they are.
A measure of an airlines efficiency is determined with respect to the average number of all its employees per unit of production. The smaller the number of employees per aircraft indicates greater efficiency. In case of PIA which has close to 40 aircraft in its fleet, this is over 450 employees per aircraft. In comparison, Lufthansa with around 300 aircraft, they have 127 employees per aircraft, Similarly, British Airways with 250+ aircraft, they 178 employees per aircraft. Clearly PIA is overstaffed and this is bleeding the airline.
@John the Baptist: PIA is national institution -- which is difficult for Jati Umra League to comprehend. Why only the Most Beloved Little Brother on PIA committee; why not the other Chief Ministers? This is called Aqraba Parastee!
"Khakan Abbasi was also present"... He owns Airblue, PIA's competitor airline.. Wonder how a competitor would be giving ideas for improvement in its rival company.....
All those advocating privatization. Remember the Ides of March?? This is what they said about KESC and Banks etc., Look how they ripped us off and still at it. Without MCB Mansha would have been a small time textile-mill owner heavily mortgaged to the Banks. Not competing with the Sharifs and Zardaris.
@;-)chief Sell its 100% shares to Mr. Shahid Khaqan……:-X)
PML will donate 100% shares to Mr. Abbassi... rest assured.
Previously one person was skimming, now 4 frontmen (8 hands) will siphon off. Ultimately, it will be sold at throw away prices to someone like Mian Mansha.
@Shiraz Moughal: How do you get reciprocity out of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait?? They are all city states whose airlines depend on other countries traffic to survive. They have only one airport within their state and very little population for the size of their fleets. Without traffic from Pakistan and India all these ME airlines will disappear.
Sell its 100% shares to Mr. Shahid Khaqan......:-X)
Mostly people's comments are right; privatize (like all other airlines, more or less), cut work force by 50% (don't need million people to run an airline with <50 fleet), increase fleet size (cover local airports), etc. but I don't agree with ME airliners not allowed to cover local airports, if PIA can't do the job let someone else, but like to have terms of reciprocity of there homeland. As far as issue of Karachi is concerned; if Karachi can't figure out how to handle itself let some other city figure out. We can't let one city's problems supersede the entire country.
first remove the jiaalas from the company, which were forced into PIA and showed to the public how much PPP is a people loving company.
Privatise the white elephant.
Shahid Khaqan Abassi already has a stake in Air Blue. Why would he want PIA to perform better than his Airline. He will try his best for it not to work. His involvment is a Conflict of Interest. Unfortunately we wont see PIA peforming any better then what we are already seeing. Such a sad state of affairs
The State owned Airline PIA is suffering losses due to its policies of giving free tickets to people who are mighty and powerful and have some say one way or the other in PIA.
The other bigger problem is of corruption.
Since it is owned by the Government, the PIA employees are looting PIA like any other government department of the country.
@Muhammad Awais: Could you focus on the chronic situation?? Its MQM and their days of mourning shutting the city down. Its their bhatta ruining businesses and their No Maloom Affrad setting the city and people on fire. Its time to move PIA bag and baggage out of KHI to LHE or ISB where there is law and order and peace to run businesses.
Having Shahid Khaqan Abbasi present in any meetings discussing fate of PIA is a huge conflict of interest as he is owner of Air Blue. I am not holding my breath on seeing PIA improve but its downhill movement should now simply gather pace, despite all the claims to the contrary.
NS should move al HQ admin and engineering to Lahore or Islamabad so that people can get to work, passengers can get to the airport and flight crews don't call in sick fearing no transport. KHI is just a sick dying city. Time for a change.
Wow, another team of "aviation" experts. Can Jutti Umra League find anyone, I mean anyone, outside of a 10 mile radius of Raiwind?
Privatize this 100% please.
PIA from the last 7 or 8 years is not running very well and its system is totally passing through a chronic situation, the newly became PM Nawaz Shareef along with his new appointed members of committee have to take the issue of PIA seriously along with the other problems.
Reduce head count by 50% especially in the senior ranks (including all PPP jiyalas) and buy new planes. Start here and then work at other chronic problems like reducing ME carriers access to all cities on terms of reciprocity. Without this the airline ain't going anywhere.