ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation into the advertisement of the national airline PIA for the resumption of flights to Paris.
The advertisement was released by PIA on Friday to mark the resumption of flights to Paris. The advertisement showed a plane flying towards the Eiffel Tower against a background in the colors of the French flag, with the caption: “Paris, we are coming today.” The advertisement was viewed more than 21 million times on X (Twitter), after which it faced criticism online.
Ishaq Dar further said that fast-track steps are underway regarding the privatization of PIA, and 22 aircraft of the national airline are operational, while 11 aircraft are under construction for repair. He said that the privatization process of the national airline is ongoing, and it is better that the corporate sector of Pakistan takes it up.
It may be recalled that in June 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had expressed concerns about the compliance of Pakistan’s aviation authorities with international safety standards, as a result of which PIA flights were banned. In recent days, the European Union has lifted this ban, but the ban is still in place for the UK and the US.
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Speaking in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman raised a question regarding the privatization of the national airline and asked whether the project has been scrapped or is still ongoing. She said that currently, 19 of the 34 aircraft of PIA are in the air, while the rest are lying on the ground.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also said that the reason for banning PIA flights in the UK, US, and Europe was a statement by former minister Sarwar Khan, in which it was said that Pakistani pilots are fake.
He further said that the PDM government had formed a committee on this issue and now the European Union has lifted the ban on PIA.
Ishaq Dar expressed hope that efforts are underway to restore flights to the UK by the end of January and that flights to the UK will be restored by March or April.
