Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday asked the national flag carrier, PIA to achieve a high degree of professionalism and position itself to meet competition. He was addressing a gathering here at the Chaklala Air Base to preview the new Boeing 777-LR, which is on a 25-nation world tour and would be inducted in PIA by end of this year.
The Prime Minister said earlier the airline's fleet was not reflective of the new needs and demands of modern times and it was important that the PIA moves along with the industry.
He said that with the induction of new aircraft, PIA would be able to fly to newer destinations and attract new business.
He urged it to be more competitive and try to gain its share of tourist traffic to visit Pakistan's places of natural beauty.
He said that the new aircraft being added to the Airlines fleet would allow it to fly non-stop to the United States.
He said without stops, the passengers would save precious time and be less tired when they get off at their destinations.
He appreciated the new reservation, marketing and sales system by PIA and said it has to gear up and seek to build up business.
He said the airline should focus to build its brand and move from being an ethnic airline to an international one. He hoped the airline would also replace its ageing Fokker F-27 aircraft with newer ones soon.
He said opting for Boeing 777 was a tough decision for the PIA but added that it was done in a transparent manner. The Prime Minister later inspected the aircraft.