By Asad Cheema
ISLAMABAD: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PIA, Air Marshal Arshad Malik visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) along with his team and signed an MoU with President ICCI Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan to offer 10 percent discount to ICCI members and their immediate families on domestic and international flights. Addressing the business community, Air Marshal Arshad Malik said that PIA was now focusing on corporate customers for business generation and signing of MoU with ICCI was part of such efforts. He said that with the improvement in airline’s financials, PIA would consider offering up to 25 percent discount to ICCI members. He said that the business community should facilitate PIA in improving its cargo business. The CEO of Pakistan Airline said that PIA was ready to dedicate aircrafts for cargo flights if private sector supported it with more business volume. He said that PIA needed an advisory board with representation of chambers in it. He said that PIA would soon start direct flight to Baku from Lahore and to Uzbekistan from March this year.
He said that PIA was a very challenging organization, but he was determined to address its challenges. He said that PIA in the past was not given commercial sense, but now with the efforts of his professional team, PIA has been put back on track. He said that unfortunately Covid-19 has badly hit the aviation industry. He said that the outlook of PIA would be changed and old aircraft would be swapped with better quality and competitive aircrafts.
Air Marshal Arshad Malik said that PIA HQ was not being shifted, rather there was a shift in its business model as 70 percent commercial activity was now biased towards north and south regions due to which PIA was focusing on these regions for business promotion.
