ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to lease out New Islamabad International Airport to interested foreign investors in the first phase because it is now difficult to carry out the outsourcing of Karachi’s and Lahore’s two international airports.
In recent development, the government has decided to make changes in outsourcing of airports, and now only Islamabad International Airport will be handed over to a foreign firm. However, there are interested parties in securing operations of these three airports of Pakistan and International Finance Corporation (IFC) has mentioned it in their presentation given to Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar here on Monday.
However, since the government has not yet advertised the outsourcing of any airports, it will be difficult to move forward quickly. As an example, the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has defaulted on various facilities at these airports.
“There are some practical issues that need resolution before handing over airport to any international party,” top official sources told The News on Monday. “How the new airport operator will permit free amenities to PIA if the government assumes the airport’s prior liabilities. It was one of the main issues that needed to be handled before proceeding.”
