The Senate Standing Committee on Aviation was informed on Thursday that during the past two months, a 60 percent delay in international flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been observed.
The standing committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Hidayatullah, was informed that there have also been issues related to immigration due to which passengers have been offloaded from flights.
The officials from the Ministry of Aviation informed that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been taken on board to resolve these immigration-related issues and the agency has agreed to come up with a policy to mitigate the issues at the earliest.
The officials further informed regarding the posting of incumbent Director General (DG) Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) during the last 15 years. The committee was informed that the posting was in line with the rules and regulations. The committee observed that the process of advertising for DG CAA should be adopted instead of getting it approved by the cabinet.
Regarding the closure of the PIA booking office in Hyderabad, the committee was informed that the closure of the office was a cost-cutting move. It was further highlighted that the PIA management is working towards establishing a smart office in Hyderabad, which would be operative within a month
While discussing the procurement of services on account of the development of indigenous In-flight entertainment (IFE) solutions resulting in a dubious financial deal, the committee was informed that because of certain discrepancies concerning the technical soundness of the lowest bidder i.e. M/S Avionic Solution, the whole tendering process has been rolled back.
Senators Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah, Aon Abbas, Afnan Ullah Khan, Keshoo Bai, Bahramand Khan Tangi and Naseeb Ullah Bazai and senior officials from the Ministry of Aviation also attended the meeting.
When they realise their incompetency? Privatisation is the only way to protect the name of PIA.