ISLAMABAD: In a move that many are calling the final blow to a once-iconic national institution, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Wednesday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), long plagued by corruption and mismanagement, will be put up for privatisation on December 23.
The announcement marks the official end of an era for PIA, which, for decades, stood as a symbol of national pride, but is now an emblem of decline and decay.
The entire privatisation process will be broadcast live, ensuring that the fate of this once-flagship airline is witnessed by the nation in real time. In a meeting with potential bidders, the prime minister expressed hopes that the sale would be executed with “transparency and merit,” underscoring that the bidding process would be both open and televised, in an attempt to assure the public of accountability at every stage.
However, despite the prime minister’s optimistic rhetoric, a cloud of deep scepticism hangs over the future of an airline that once epitomised Pakistan’s global aspirations.
“Insha Allah, PIA will once again live up to its tradition of being ‘Great People to Fly With,’” Sharif declared, yet this slogan, which once resonated with pride, now rings hollow for many who have witnessed the airline’s prolonged descent into irrelevance.
Once a formidable player on the global aviation stage, PIA now struggles to maintain a fraction of its former routes, particularly those connecting Pakistan to key international destinations.
The airline’s shrinking network has left Pakistan’s vast diaspora increasingly disconnected, with fewer options for travel to and from their homeland.
The prime minister stressed that the move to privatise PIA was necessary to restore its “lost identity” and bring the airline in line with modern industry standards.
Central to this plan is the revitalisation of PIA’s international routes, which Prime Minister Sharif argued are critical for the country’s vast diaspora and the broader development of Pakistan’s tourism sector.
“The success of PIA is crucial to the future of Pakistan’s tourism industry,” he noted, though this statement rings somewhat hollow when weighed against the airline’s ageing fleet and tarnished reputation, which casts a long shadow over such lofty ambitions.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahad Cheema, Mohammad Aurangzeb, Ataullah Tarar, Azam Nazir Tarar, Awais Leghari, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiani, Prime Minister’s Advisor Mohammad Ali, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, and other relevant senior officials. All bidders participating in the PIA privatisation bidding process also took part in the meeting.
All participants in the meeting expressed overwhelming praise for the government’s management of the privatisation process. However, despite this positive reception, PIA’s decades-long decline continues to fuel scepticism, with many doubting whether this bold move will truly bring about the transformation that Sharif envisions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
