The Pakistan International Airline (PIA) officials on Wednesday briefed National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation about the Airline’s Business Plan, saying 2020 was the worst year for the aviation industry and the national airline also took steps from the closure of revenue-losing routes to reducing its administrative staff, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Aviation was held under the chairmanship of Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhry, PTI MNA from NA-85 (Mandi Bahauddin-I).

The PIA officials told the NA Standing Committee, “PIA Business Plan was approved in 2019 under which new reforms and restructuring were decided in the national airline.”

“Revenue deficit routes were closed to increase the revenue of PIA,” the officials further said, adding “2020 year proved to be very bad for the aviation industry. PIA also reduced the number of employees through its Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) to 20 percent in the administrative side.”

The PIA officials said they had planned to increase the number of PIA's fleet from 31 to 45 in 2019. “Our liability is five times more and no institution in the world can run with five-time liability,” the PIA officials told the NA committee. 

“If PIA earns 4.5 percent profit, even then it will take 78 years to repay the loan. However, Dr Ishrat Hussain has prepared a report on PIA as well,” the PIA officials said.

It is pertinent to note that Spokesman for PIA Abdullah Hafeez Khan said in a press release that the total number of employees availing the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) facility had touched the figure of 2,000 and about a thousand release letters had already been issued.