The Government of Pakistan has obtained support from lawmakers to declare Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) “bankrupt” and ultimately shut down the aviation service.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Aviation, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi told the Senate Special Committee on the Performance of PIA that:
“Such a recommendation from a parliamentary committee will help the government take the difficult decision that it is otherwise hesitating to take.”
Apparently, the committee met to talk about the recommendations to overhaul PIA. It also discussed the round of episodes that have been damaging the reputation of PIA.
It is reported that Sardar Mehtab Abbasi gave the following suggestions to the committee, that are:
- Let the PIA run the way it currently is operating
- Operate it in loss
- Declare the flag carrier bankrupt and shut it down
- Restructure it
However, according to Dawn, Committee Chairman Mushahidullah Khan is not in favor of shutting down PIA:
“We believe that a few good officers at the top could restore PIA’s lost glory”
PIA in Hot Water!
Last month, PIA has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. It has been reported that PIA is facing a monthly loss of a whopping PKR 3.25 Billion as per the Acting Executive Chief Officer, Nayyar Hayat.
What is more, a video of a pilot caught sleeping in the passenger compartment ignited a furor on social media. Apparently, he had handed over the plane to an under-training pilot.
Another video also had been leaked in which a PIA allowed a Chinese woman entry in the cockpit for the whole journey.
Last week, as many as 13 PIA officials were detained at the London’s Heathrow airport over alleged security threats.
So what will the government eventually decide? Let’s wait and watch!
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