He blamed the Middle East (ME) based airlines operating in Pakistan for making PIA a loss-making enterprise just when there is talk of its imminent privatisation.
“PIA has been thrown to the wolves, raising serious questions that must be probed,” the senator said.
The losses incurred by the national carrier have often been blamed on overstaffing. “While PIA is certainly overstaffed, its current salary bill of around 17% of the revenue is within the limits of 25% practiced in the industry,” he said.
States own the air space over their territory and negotiate commercial aviation treaties keeping in view national interest and fair competition, he said. “All subjects of negotiations have been totally ignored in the case of the three ME airlines,” Babar said.
Giving examples he said that previously a Gulf based airline had four weekly flights to Islamabad and Lahore. Now that airline flies 14 weekly flights to Islamabad, besides having been given additional new routes of Sialkot, Faisalabad and Multan, the PPP senator said.
Minister In-charge Sheikh Aftab said that the current government was working to improve the situation. They have acquired some aircraft on dry lease and losses of billions of dollars have been reduced.
