Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has directed the management of the PIA to submit a comprehensive two-year revival plan of the national flag carrier by 26 January.
He gave this direction while chairing a meeting of the special committee formed by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to supervise reforms of the PIA. The meeting was attended by Chairman Privatisation Commission Mohammad Zubair, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar and Secretary EAD Tariq Bajwa. Civil Aviation secretary made a presentation before the committee.
A clear and shared vision, strict adherence to merit, focus on human resource development, accountability, focus on core functions and customer service are essential elements to make PIA a world class airline. It is the last chance for PIA employees and management to fix and turn around PIA because it can’t be allowed to become another steel mill, the minister said.
The airline has strongest fundamentals yet it has become a loss making machine due to under management and politicisation in the past. Without clear roadmap and business model, no effort will succeed. Accountability at all levels should be made compulsory and performance to be measured continuously, he added.
Iqbal said 2017 will be the year of revival of the PIA as financial health of the airline will improve besides improvement on all fronts. He said tangible outcomes are required and there is a need of ‘Fleet to Service’ Master Plan. A comprehensive plan of two years should be made, and initial plan should be presented by management by January 26, so it could be presented to the prime minister.
The minister stressed that PIA could not be run as a government department. The loss making routes should be paid attention and more aircraft would be added. The customers must be brought back by a better quality of the PIA’s services, punctuality and reliability.
