PM directs upgradation of PIA fleet on priority basis

ISLAMABAD: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Air Marshal Arshad Malik, has presented a roadmap to Prime Minister Imran Khan to revive the national carrier, ARY News reported on Monday.

PM Imran Khan chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing process to introduce reformations and reorganisation of the national carrier.

The meeting was attended by PIA CEO Arshad Malik, aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar, Shibli Faraz and Asim Saleem Bajwa.

Arshad Malik briefed the premier over the PIA plane crash incident and progress of the payment of compensation money to the affectees.

Read: PIA employees face up to 25pc salary cut

A detailed roadmap regarding re-organisation and reformations has been presented to the PM Imran Khan for the national entity.

“PIA is facing an annual loss of Rs6 billion and the expenditures of only salaries of 14,500 employees are Rs24 billion per year. During the last 12 years, 10 heads of the national carrier were changed,” said Malik.

The premier was apprised that the present CEO is restricted to perform duties due to judicial proceedings continued since three months during its 14-month which caused disruption for bringing reforms.

Read: Families of PIA plane crash victims receive Rs1m each

Malik said that airline industry was badly affected around the world due to coronavirus pandemic. He added that the reformation process in PIA is underway despite the industry is facing trouble due to the pandemic.

PM Imran Khan said that the nationals were bearing the financial loss worth billion of the government institutions. He directed expediting the process of reformations and reorganisation of PIA

He also ordered to upgrade the PIA fleet on a priority basis in order to generate financial resources instead of becoming a burden on the nationals.