ISLAMABAD: Speaking on the occasion of the launch of National Aviation Policy 2015 here yesterday, Prime Minister has said that the aviation policy was one of the most modern and finest policies that had been formulated after consultation with all stakeholders. Prime Minister Sharif said the working of the PIA must be improved to make it a modern and dynamic airline and directed the finance ministry to release the required funds.
He also directed Shujaat Azeem to distinguish good and bad people in the national flag carrier as both could not co-exist there.
He said a new airport was needed in Lahore to cope with the growing needs adding that as per original layout, the airport was supposed to be much bigger but it was squeezed by the martial law regime.
He said a separate terminal needed to be built at Lahore Airport for domestic passengers and the facility should be developed as an international airport.
Nawaz Sharif said the government had inherited numerous challenges like energy crisis, poor economy and terrorism.
He said the national economy was turning around and the country would get rid of energy crisis during the current government's tenure.
The Prime Minister said he never gave a timeline of three or six months or two years to rid the country of load-shedding and reiterated to resolve the issue within the current stint.
He said the government was planning to produce 3600 MW of electricity through LNG, 1000 MW through Neelum Jhelum project and 1400 MW from Tarbela-IV adding that the country would soon have energy in surplus.
He said the PIA used to be one of the finest airlines in the 1970s but it deteriorated and recalled his air travels through PIA saying that it was no lesser than other foreign airlines in those days.
He said 26 percent of the PIA shares would be privatised whether someone liked it or not; however it would be in the interest of the airline as well as its staffers.
He also directed CAA to launch air service to and from the destinations like Chitral and others in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan where road travel is much difficult.
He said the government was moving forward with dedication despite resources constraint and hoped that the country would overcome all these challenges.
Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar said the aviation policy reflected the Prime Minister's vision and termed it robust and investment friendly policy that also provides a future road-map to uplift the aviation sector. He said the new policy revolves around taxing the revenue not the core investment and it would be implemented on fast track. He said the country was going to join the world's emerging markets.
He also quoted a Bloomberg report showing positive trends in the country's economy like high remittances, surging stock, top performing currencies hoping that the country has a bright future.
Special Assistant to PM Shujaat Azeem highlighted the salient features of the policy and said the region had the biggest East-West air traffic of around 600 flights.
He said the air traffic was the fundamental of the national economy and hoped that the policy would help turn around the aviation sector.
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