ISLAMABAD – As the Pakistani government moves ahead with its plans torestructure its national airline, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)is going to lay off half of its 14,000 employees, replace some of theplanes in its fleet and close routes incurring losses.

According to Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan Dr Ishrat Hussain, formergovernor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Pakistani cabinet hasapproved PIA’S restructuring and is looking for outsourcing managementcontract or sale of 26 percent stake in the airline after improving itsbalance sheet.

A news report cited Dr Ishrat as saying during a recent interview thatattempts to revive the PIA in the past were blocked by protesting employeesor opposition political parties. This time, he said, there were “nograndiose plans to become like Emirates or Etihad or Qatar”.

“It will be a very lean and efficient organization,” he said and added thatthe government was planning to make the PIA profitable by 2023.

Amid challenges posed by Covid, the national flag carrier posted a net lossof Rs34.6 billion rupees ($226 million) in 2020, which was still animprovement from a deficit of Rs52.6 billion rupees in 2019.