THE national flag carrier – PIA – which remained in focus for all the wrong reasons in the past – is firmly on the path of revival and glory, thanks to the well-conceived policies and programmes of its incumbent management. According to its CEO Arshad Mahmood Malik the airliner has been able to increase its revenues by 41% during the last six months.
The improvement is the result of visionary approach of the management that is taking decisions purely on professional and commercial considerations. These included aggressive sales and marketing both in passenger and cargo, increased scheduled reliability (around 90%), overall seat factor (above 85%), product development initiatives such as cabin refurbishment, vibrant cabin crew, improved food quality, proactive and efficient supply chain management besides increased synergy between engineering and flight operation. It was because of all these that for the first time in many years, PIA was able to complete the Hajj operation this year without any worthwhile complaint by pilgrims. The successful operation and greater punctuality in departures and arrivals would surely help boost the confidence of the people in PIA and this augurs well for restoration of its credibility as reliable airline. Apart from improving facilities for passengers, PIA is also on the cargo business, which though usually forms a significant portion of the total revenue but was neglected in the past. In this connection, the CEO has sought cooperation of the business community and hopefully things would improve through mutual collaboration and innovative ideas to attract cargo business. It is also encouraging that PIA is adding two new aircraft next month and two more would become part of its fleet next year. It is also acquiring new technology and fuel efficient aircraft to augment frequency of flights and new destinations. The shifting of some services to Islamabad and Lahore and launching of direct international flights from the federal and Punjab capitals have also contributed in minimizing losses and improving its service. All this shows things can change for the better if right people are assigned the right job.
