LAHORE: Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday confirmed that the Roosevelt Hotel, owned by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has been leased out to the New York City administration for three years.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore on Sunday, the Minister said the agreement will generate a revenue of 220 million dollars.
He expressed regret that previous government had made the decision to run the Roosevelt Hotel through a public private partnership.
The Minister further said that Hajj operation of PIA is underway successfully and for the first time, this operation was started directly from Quetta.
The minister noted that the Roosevelt Hotel, which was closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a major concern for the government. “There was a severe risk that if the hotel is not utilised, it will be affected by landmarking,” he added.
“The landmarking would have affected the price of the Pakistan-owned hotel,” Rafique claimed. He expressed regret that previous government had made the decision to run the Roosevelt Hotel through a public private partnership.
