FAISALABAD – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Mahmood Malik has said that acomprehensive strategy has been evolved for revival of the nationalflag-carrier.
In his first public address at Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry(FCCI) on Monday, he said that a short-term plan would ensure smoothfunctioning of the PIA, while in the long-term the organisation would berevived on permanent basis within next 3-5 years.
Malik said it was a bigger challenge to revive the PIA as compared toestablishment of new airlines. However, he would try to accomplish the taskwith national commitment and service to Pakistan.
The top PIA official said that he had a privilege to be part of PakistanAir Force (PAF) and was utilising its support to revive the nationalflag-carrier.
Malik said that he had visited Turkey to review the revival of TurkishAirlines. Similarly, he had also reviewed the Qatar model while in comingdays he would visit Malaysia and other countries to review and discusstheir national airline.
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The PIA is currently facing losses of Rs3 billion per month, the CEO toldthe gathering at FCCI. It has 32 aircraft, out of which only six aregenerating revenue.
He disclosed that nine planes, which are in working condition, have notbeen in use for the last nine months. Some 18,000 workers are at the PIApayroll, he added.
He mentioned 7 loss-making routes and added that the organisation had 36offices of labour unions, out of which only 10 offices had been closed.
