*KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have been revamped with **theirtail end and engines painted with endangered species Markhor instead ofnational flag. *

Sources privy to this development say PIA aircraft will wear a new lookwith national flag to be painted on the exterior of aircraft’s fuselage andMarkhor on their tail end and engines.

Two designs of aircraft have been readied, which feature the screw-hornspecies on their tail instead of national flag.

Sources said an official at the helm of the affairs of the civil aviationdivision gave go-ahead signal to new designs without any approval from theboard of directors of the national flag carrier, which is said to have beenkept in dark about the decision.

18 aircraft were added to the fleet of Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) over a course of four years and the government plans to induct moreplanes on dry and wet lease, Parliamentary Secretary for CabinetSecretariat Javed Ikhlas told the National Assembly.

He said the flights to USA have been closed by the PIA since November lastyear due to heavy losses on this route.

In Feb, the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCoP), which met at the PMOffice with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in chair, gave go-head tothe proposal for initiating restructuring process in Pakistan InternationalAirlines Corporation (PIA).

The go-ahead was given after a detailed presentation on PIACL and thediscussion that followed in the meeting which addressed issues related toPIACL and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSMC).

It was decided during the meeting to segregate core and non-core functionsof the organization.