Annual meeting: PIA on way to revival, says chairman

PIA Chairman Nasser Jaffer said that the airline is now on its way to revival and has achieved many significant goals

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Nasser Jaffer has said that the airline is now on its way to revival and has achieved many significant goals. The important measures taken were fleet modernisation, route rationalisation and cost reduction. Speaking at the 58th annual general meeting of PIA, he said nine aircraft were retired in 2014, which brought down the average age of fleet to 14 years. He stressed that the airline was following a strict financial regime and was maintaining stringent control over spending. Schedule integrity and departure punctuality were key drivers of customer satisfaction and were being improved. The airline is currently in the process of acquiring more fuel-efficient aircraft. In 2015, it plans to add 10 narrow-body A-320 aircraft to its fleet as well as five ATR-72 planes. PIA’s loss before tax reduced by 34.4% in 2014 compared to the previous year due to competent management, reduction in fuel prices and better economic conditions, the chairman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2015.

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