Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the PML-N-led government had planned to upgrade the country’s major airports with the addition of modern facilities for passengers to bring the airports at par with international standards.
Talking to a private news channel on Monday, the minister said, “We will provide maximum basic facilities to passengers in airports and railway stations and generate more revenue for the department aiming to drive it to self-sufficiency.”
Apart from this, the government was also planning to upgrade security checks at railway stations, he added.
Rafique said the government was taking several steps to improve the performance of airport authority and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) services and would provide maximum facilities to the passengers.
He said that a contract had been signed with the New York City government to operate the renowned Roosevelt Hotel of the PIA situated in New York (USA) for three years.
The minister further said that three international airports, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, were being outsourced and made it clear that “outsourcing did not mean privatisation”.
A credible company, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank, had also been given the task of outsourcing the airports as no Pakistani company had the experience in this regard, he mentioned.
The minister said that work of up-gradation at airports had already been started, adding the Gwadar International Airport was also under construction and would soon become operational.
Replying to a question, he said that it was the first time in history that Quetta airport had started direct flights to Makkah for Hajj which was hassle-free and easy for passengers.
To another question, he replied that the government was taking practical steps including the up-gradation of unmanned and vulnerable railway level crossings across the country in collaboration with respective provincial governments.
