According to Khwaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Aviation and Railways, the government has no plans to sell or give anyone a stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He added that it is untrue that one of PIA’s prized New York properties, the Roosevelt Hotel, is being sold.
Instead, the government is looking to reopen the hotel, following the best international practices to make it a successful and revenue-generating property.
“We are working hard to bring PIA back on track. This needs a lot of hard work, planning, and an increase in the operational fleet,” said Rafique during a press conference on Monday. He added that the government should have a limited role in operating PIA and its assets. “We have to follow the global model of operating the airline, and its assets, which include airports and other properties like the Roosevelt Hotel.
We will ultimately need to pursue the hotel’s restoration and management through a joint venture because it is an expensive endeavor. In a Cabinet meeting, we have already made this recommendation, the minister said.
He said, “Currently, PIA is overstaffed, but since we are a third-world nation, we are not currently considering any layoffs. Once the PIA fleet reaches 40 aircraft, this labor force will be changed. “PIA made Rs. 50 billion in revenue this quarter and is operating successfully. For this fiscal year, we have set a revenue target for the airline of Rs138 billion, but we are optimistic that we will be able to raise more than Rs155 billion,” added Rafique.
“PIA’s operational fleet will grow to 24 aircraft by the end of this month. However, a fleet of at least 40 aircraft is required for a nation with 220 million residents.
Even if it would take some time, we are working to lease new planes, he said. Rafique claimed that the former minister’s careless statement hurt PIA operations when he was speaking about global fleet operations. “We are in discussions with the governments of the UK, USA, and EU to resume PIA activities there while we are still grieving over the loss.
There is a dire need for direct flights between the UK and Pakistan as other private airlines are charging heavily for the route,” he added. The minister said that they have come to an agreement with Turkish Airlines whereby the airline will take Pakistani passengers to 26 international destinations from Istanbul airport.
PIA will arrange the flight of passengers traveling from Pakistan to Istanbul. “We are also expanding flights for religious tourism. Currently, we have trimmed fares for China and once we start operating directly to Beijing, airfares for China will come down further,” said the minister.
Rafique continued, “We’re aiming to expand the Lahore Airport’s capacity. Along with fleet planning, we are also working to expand other airports like Sukkur, Dera Ismail Khan, and others to increase connectivity throughout the nation. “At the moment, PIA is a difficult organization with a reputation issue. The same thing happened to me at Pakistan Railways. To restore PIA to its former status as one of the top airlines, we must fight back and change our perspective.
