New vision of PIA explained

Continuing with his series of communication meetings with the employees of PIA in the domestic and international network, the Chairman and CEO, PIA Tariq Kirmani, met with the PIA employees of Multan District, comprising Dera Ismail Khan and Rahimyar Khan. A large number of employees of the district attended the meeting.
The Chairman & CEO, PIA, began his address by first explaining the new vision of PIA and what it entails. He told them that due to their dedicated work PIA has registered a growth and upward trend in all areas of its operations, which are considered critical in the appraisal of any aviation business. These critical factors were, Seat Factor, Yield, Aircraft Utilisation, Market Share, Service Standards, Passengers Travelled and Share Values. In each of these areas, PIA had shown a significant increase in the FY 2005.
He maintained that PIA was in competition with regional airlines. He pointed out that PIA's performance was better then most in all the critical factors mentioned above. Maintaining that PIA was a service industry he said its focus must be on customer satisfaction. Accordingly, he gave some figures to prove how PIA was dealing with this major issue. He said that whereas the Comment Card feedback from the passengers was 160 per week in 2004 and out of this number, the complaints were a massive 48 percent.
However, the situation now had totally changed. Now PIA was receiving nearly 2000 Comment Cards as against 160 each week and the complaints were merely 19 percent. "We in PIA have now targeted to bring this down to zero," he said, "adding that in PIA customers came first and then the employees, for in the final analysis the customer paid for the employees salaries." There were three stakeholders of PIA and they were Customers, Shareholders and Employees.
He talked about the financial figures of PIA which he stated were very encouraging but for the phenomenal increase in fuel prices. "If we keep the fuel prices constant at 2004 level, PIA made an operating profit of Rs 3.4 billion rupees, whereas PIA was recorded a loss of 54 million at the very same fuel prices as in 2004."
This positive aspect had to be appreciated as they reflected on the overall performance of the airline, and the exorbitant fuel prices were in nobody's control having reached US $70 in September 2005. Despite that PIA's revenue increased by 11 percent (minus fuel) and costs were contained at 5.7 percent.
He talked of the planned, transparent and unprecedented promotions of nearly 1,800 employees that has never occurred in the history of PIA, taken together with the across the board increase in salaries by 10 percent which amounted to a six year incremental increase ie what employees would get in six years as increments. He explained the appraisal system in great detail, patiently removing all the apprehension of the employees in this regard during an open question answer session with them.
Talking to a large contingent of newsmen of the electronic media assembled there, he said PIA was acquiring 29 new planes, retiring or selling off old planes and leasing others to meet its increased capacity demands. From the total fleet figure of 41 aircraft with an average age of 21 years, PIA will have 52 aircraft in its fleet in the next four years with an average age of 9 years, thus making it one among the youngest fleet age airlines of the world.
Later, PIA Chairman addressed Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and gave a patient hearing to the questions raised by the businessmen and availed the opportunity to clear many doubts and misgivings. He also made a multimedia presentation of the new tail designs of PIA which received a loud applaud and congratulations of the assembled tycoons. He assured them that routes frequencies and cargo capacity will be increased to cater for uplifting both passengers and perishable like mangoes in quick time for their respective destinations.
The President and the Executive Committee of the Chamber hosted a lunch in his honour at the end of the meeting.-PR