ISLAMABAD: Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan today (Friday) has clarified that there were no concrete plans to privatize Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Speaking on the National Assembly floor, the Aviation Minister said, “The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is very keen to make the national flag carrier, a self-reliant and profitable entity.”
“Efforts are underway to improve the financial health of the airline by reducing its losses through various different means” the minister told the National Assembly. Sarwar underlined that long-making flights on profitable routes have been added which has resulted in a reduction of losses.
In response to a question, he said that almost 82 pilots were dismissed for acquiring licenses through illegal means, adding that a transparent mechanism was introduced in order to ensure the transparent issuance of licenses.
“In this regard, an agreement has also been signed with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The authority will carry out an audit of our entire Civil Aviation Authority in July this year” Sarwar announced.
Expressing confidence that the PIA will regain its past glory, the minister hoped that this will lead to the removal of travel restrictions on the PIA imposed by a few European countries.
The European Union aviation safety watchdog had previously decided to retain its ban on PIA from operating in EU member states, expressing its dissatisfaction over the steps taken by the Civil Aviation Authority to address licensing and safety concerns.
