Pakistan Prime Minister wants PIA to be world class airline
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called upon the management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to transform the national flag carrier into a world-class entity.
“A passion for change and improvement is required to achieve the objective,” he said
while chairing a meeting held on Monday to review the performance of PIA. Praising the airline’s improvements in several areas, he said more needed to be done to make PIA globally competitive and a carrier of choice.
He said that high oil prices were adversely affecting the airlines industry, so there was a need to improve productivity and competitiveness. He asked PIA’s management to take all decisions on commercially viable basis, increase frequency of flights and prepare growth and contingency plans. He also stressed the need to take cost-effective measures in procurement and operations of the airline.
Chairman PIA Tariq Kirmani informed the prime minister about PIA’s fleet renovation plans and said the airline planned to increase the number of aircraft during the next five years from 42 to 52. This will include replacement of existing aircraft and induction of 29 new aircraft, he said.
The prime minister was also informed that in 2005 PIA achieved highest productivity in 26 years. Its revenues were 13 percent up in 2005 as compared to 2004 and Rs 2 billion have been saved as a result of centralised procurement system introduced recently.
The managing director of the airline briefed the prime minister about new routes and more international and domestic flights of the PIA. Defence minister Rao Sikander Iqbal and state minister for defence Zahid Hamid also attended the meeting. staff report
January 17, 2006
Posted in: Airlines & Railways