ISLAMABAD: The national flag carrier earmarked an operating expenditure of Rs183.345 billion during FY 2022-23, which is an 81.2 percent increase from Rs 101.212 billion during the previous year recording a loss of Rs11.307 billion, the economic survey FY 2022-2023 revealed.
Whereas, the document recorded an operating revenue of Rs172.038 billion during FY 2022-23, which is an increase of 99.6 percent as compared to the previous calendar year.
The carrier, with a total fleet of 35 airplanes is trying to meet the growing demand for domestic and regional air travel and to ensure safe and reliable travel, the survey stated. However, the PIA has expanded its narrow-body aircraft fleet by acquiring four Airbus A320 aircrafts on dry lease during the year 2022.
The A320 is a state-of-the-art aircraft, equipped with the latest technology and amenities to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable flying experience. In addition to this, the PIA currently owns 14 narrow-body aircraft fleet.
In an effort to rationalise manpower, cabin crew strength has been brought down from almost 1,500 in 2019 to 1,018 in 2022, the survey stated.
The number of regular employees was reduced from 14,500 to 8,029 in the year 2022 bringing per aircraft ratio from 550 to 250, it maintained. Furthermore, ghost employees and employees with fake degrees were terminated, it added.
According to the economic survey, the PIA has acquired an A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), Reality 7 from L3Harris, UK’s aerospace and defence company, to enhance the quality of crew training. The simulator is installed at the PIA training centre, Karachi.
This advanced simulator is a significant addition to the PIA’s crew training programme as it allows pilots to experience a wide range of simulated scenarios and situations that they may encounter during actual flights, the survey said. With this new simulator, the PIA’s crew training will be more comprehensive and effective ensuring that pilots are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to operate the Airbus A320 aircraft safely and efficiently. This will also help reduce the cost and time required by providing a realistic and interactive simulation environment.
In addition to enhancing PIA’s own crew training programme, it has also opened up new revenue streams for the airline as PIA is now providing training services to other domestic airlines as well.
Furthermore, in order to ensure that safety standards are in place, Safety Management System has been implemented in the PIA to report and manage all safety-related issues as recommended by the international auditors of the aviation industry.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023