ISLAMABAD – Aviation Division Secretary Muhammad Ali Gardezi told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is paying Rs3.2 billion annually in debt-servicing and its total liabilities stand at Rs288bn.
Gardezi during the scrutiny of audit paragraphs on the accounts of the Aviation Division said that national flag carrier has 26 aircraft and 18,331 employees — or 705 people per aircraft. The global average is 150 to 200 employees per aircraft. Gardezi said PIA’s average was higher because airlines world over outsourced services like ground handling, flight kitchen, maintenance and repair work, but PIA ran these services on its own. “About 7,000 employees are engaged for these services and PIA pays them Rs5.5bn per year as salaries and other benefits.”
He said had these services been privatised, the airline could turn profitable. The aviation secretary also expressed resentment over the high-handedness of the unionism, saying every political party has its wing in the PIA. “The management could not take crucial decisions,” he said.
