Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore airports to be outsourced: sources

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has prepared the outsourcing plan for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports, quoting sources ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority has finalized the framework on the instructions of the prime minister, sources said.

“A tender will be published in international journals for outsourcing of the airports,” sources said.

According to sources, the government has decided for outsourcing of Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore airports. “The government has planned to prefer friendly countries for airports’ outsourcing,” according to sources. “The firms from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, China and Turkey will be invited on preferential grounds,” sources said.

Sources citing the Planning Division have said that the country will earn 250 to 300 US million dollars in a year from outsourcing of airports.

The government will contract to outsource airports for 25 years, sources said. Under the agreement airport terminal services, parking, airport storage, cargo handling and cleaning sections will be outsourced, sources said.

The civil aviation will keep the airport security and air traffic control with it. The CAA earns Rs 30 bln per annum from three largest airports of the country, sources added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December directed to initiate the outsourcing process of three major airports under the public-private partnership.

The concerned authorities were ordered to initiate the process of outsourcing Jinnah International Airport Karachi, Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore and Islamabad International Airport.

The prime minister directed that in the outsourcing process all concerned departments should take steps efficiently. He further said transparency should be ensured in this process.

The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the outsourcing of airports. It was informed that outsourcing airports are a normal profit-seeking practice throughout the world.

It was told that initially Islamabad International Airport and Lahore Airport will be outsourced under a public-private partnership. The outsourcing of airports will not only provide revenue to the government but will also help improve facilities for international travellers, according to Radio Pakistan.