PM’s Adviser on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan has stressed that the national carrier should be run purely on commercial basis and cost cutting measures should be encouraged at every level to reduce costs and optimise operations.
Khan made these remarks at a meeting of PIA Commercial Department on Wednesday. The secretary aviation and PIA Acting Chairman Irfan Elahi was also present at the meeting. Acting Chief Commercial Officer Tahir Niaz briefed the meeting members about the various functions of the department.
Stressing on the importance of marketing in promoting Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), he advised the team to focus on innovative ideas to market the service to the target market. Furthermore, he stressed on incorporating modern technology in all operational departments and termed it as being crucial for increasing efficiency and attaining profitability.
He further directed that people unable to meet the targets or acting irresponsibly causing losses to the company should be held accountable. Promotions should be performance based and indicators should be developed for passenger and cargo sales followed by regular performance monitoring, he added further. Performance accountability should be implemented across the board, he emphasised.
Mehtab further directed the Commercial Department to maintain strong coordination with the Engineering and Maintenance Department for reducing maintenance-related delays and cancellations. Scheduling should be organised so that the cost cutting is encouraged as much as possible, he said.
He further stressed on the Commercial Department to focus on improving quality and customer service. Marketing and sales should take decisions based on commercial viability to regain lost market and to avoid operational losses, he stressed.
The adviser was informed that station performance, revenue management and scheduling performance are reviewed on a regular basis and decisions are implemented after required feedback is obtained from stations. He was also briefed about PIA’s summer schedule for the current year including plans for the upcoming Hajj operation. Route rationalisation exercise for under-performing routes and expansion strategies for profitable routes were also highlights of the meeting.
