Investors from seven countries show interest in outsourcing of airports

ISLAMABAD: Investors from Germany, France, Netherlands, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Turkiye as well as local groups have shown their interest in outsourcing of three airports of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

As per details, Minister for Defence and Aviation Khawaja Muhammad Asif chaired a meeting regarding the outsourcing of airports and privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The federal government had earlier decided to outsource the country’s major three airports including Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) briefed the meeting about updates on the matter.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif directed to convene an online meeting with Pakistani ambassadors in these countries and to ask them for actively engaging with interested groups.

He also suggested linking local investors with international investors so that awareness of local investors can be increased and they can participate in the bidding process.

Privatisation Commission Secretary Usman Akhtar Bajwa informed the minister about the marketing plan and initial engagements with international investors.
The federal minister directed to visit these countries to establish active links with potential investors and bring groups interested in privatisation to Pakistan.

The minister also pledged support for both transactions at the federal level.

Secretary aviation, additional secretary ministry of foreign affairs, and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Read More: Islamabad Airport outsourcing: CAA extends bid submission date

Earlier on March 21, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday extended the bid submission date for outsourcing of Islamabad International Airport

As per details, the decision to extend the tender date came in the wake of a lack of interest from the bidders in the outsourcing of the Airport.

Hereby, the CAA extended the bid submission date for two months to May 15 and applications were sought from the investors who are interested in outsourcing the airports.