CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik holding press conference at Press Information Department (PID) Media Centre in Islamabad. Aviation Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media with the status of Minister of State lftikhar Durrani were also present.
Acting CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik at a press conference in Islamabad informed:
Few months ago Prime Minister Imran Khan and PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar in a meeting decided to revive PIA. PAF Chief accepted the challenge and held another meeting with the Prime Minister.
On October 26, 2018, Air Marshal Arshad Malik was chosen for the responsibility and challenging job of reviving PIA. Air Marshal Arshad Malik accepted the responsibility and will use his PAF experience, grooming and expertise to revive PIA.
PIA has been seen as white elephant, overstaffed, affected by unions and corruption. However, the airline has talented professionals including pilots and engineers.
A Boeing 777 is abandoned since past nine/ten months.
A number of airline's Airbus A320s and ATRs were also in bad shape/grounded.
Grounded ATR 72-500.
An Airbus A320 without engine.
An Airbus A320 without engine.
Grounded ATR 72-500.
Bed sheets were being used as partition in aircraft cabin.
There are aircraft missing engines and other components due to cannibalization.
Ground support equipment was abandoned and left un-serviceable.
Ground support equipment was abandoned.
PIA personnel were working without proper facilities at Islamabad International Airport.
Aircraft maintenance facilities including hangars were in bad shape.
Aircraft maintenance facilities including hangars were in bad shape.
No safety culture - Electrical cable with cuts in insulation at PIA Engineering.
Aircraft cabins were in bad condition.
IFE is not working on the aircraft.
Aircraft galleys were in bad shape.
There were broken lavatories with missing liquids/soaps.
Flight kitchen was in poor conditions.
Ground equipment without wheels.
Equipment at Karachi Airport.
An abandoned tow tractor has been recovered and ten more are being repaired.
There was trash in technicians crew room. Trash removed and room cleaned.
In-flight meals being improved.
PIA Township and Primary School improved.
Encroachments removed from PIA Township.
Unions ads and banners removed from PIA offices and premises.
Unions ads and banners removed from PIA offices and premises.
Canteens for PIA Grade I to IV employees improved.
Canteens for PIA Grade I to IV employees improved.
480 files of legal cases were untraceable. The files are now arranged in airline's legal department.
There were/are seven routes causing loss of millions of rupees. 500 million rupees loss per month including 300 million rupees loss by Tokyo flights.
Gwadar, Panjgur flights suffering loss of 542 million rupees.
The airline is ending loss making routes. The loss making routes ended/being ended had 54 percent passenger load.
The new profit making routes have 95 percent passenger load.
Night flight operations to resume at Peshawar Airport.
PIA had stopped using air space of Turkmenistan and Iran due to non-payment of air space usage bills. The aircraft had to fly extra one hour. Dues have been cleared and PIA has resumed using airspace of Turkmenistan and Iran.
Two hundred ghost employees sacked. The ghost employees were getting PKR 15,000 to 70,000 salaries.
Employees with fake educational documents have been sacked.
PIA has properties in cities including Tashkent, Tehran, Mumbai and New York. Decision has been taken to utilize PIA properties and shift airline offices there instead of using rented facilities in such places.
Union officers were using thirteen cars. The airline has managed to get eight cars back from them. Court stay orders are prevnting the airline from getting back five other cars.
The Acting CEO PIA is using car provided by PAF. Eight PIA cars have been returned.
PIA pays CAA charges in US dollars. However, the facilities at Pakistani airports cannot be compared with those offered at foreign airports.
431.1 billion rupees accumulated losses.
247.7 billion rupees loans/borrowing.
144.7 billion rupees liabilities excluding loans.
4.0 billion rupees average monthly loan principal repayment.
1.5 billion rupees average monthly interest payment.
PIA is suffering loss of 3 billion rupees per month.
Six grounded aircraft since past nine to ten months. Efforts being made to bring them into service.
Un-serviceable ground support equipment to be repaired.
IFE to be restored on aircraft through indigenous efforts prepared by a PAF officer. IFE will be restored on aircraft in three to four months. Government assistance/support will be sought for restoring IFE.
In-flight services to be improved.
VIP culture to be ended.
Austerity measures to be implemented. No free tickets or seat upgrades.
An auxiliary power unit (APU) at Karachi Airport has been repaired.
In March, PIA strategic business plan for next four to five years will be presented to the government for approval.
Abbas
