PIA Chairman and Secretary Defence Lieutenant General Asif Yasin Malik (Retd) addressing the airline cockpit, cabin crew and the aircraft engineers emphasised upon them that 'Passenger Most Important Person' may be given maximum travel facilitation. PIA Chairman on a visit to PIA head office held three interactive sessions first with the PIA pilots followed by senior pursers and airhostess and aircraft engineers at the Auditorium.
He said his association with the airline goes back to the 60,s when he first travelled by a PIA from Karachi to Lahore on a Boeing 720 as PIA was the first airline of the region to introduce a jetliner for commercial travel. Later, in USA during training he had the opportunity of visiting the US airline manufacturing industries. In Seattle the Boeing Industry showed him the assembly of fuselage for the B-777 being manufactured for Pakistan, he added.
Asif Yasin Malik said he had accepted the responsibility with clear intent and a capacity to serve on sensitive appointment and high pressure jobs with administrative experience. He would be serving PIA in the best interest of the passengers keeping in view his personal experience as a passenger with deep association with the airline.
Keeping his allied assignments in place as Chairman PIA, he would be devoting two days every week for improving the airline and would be visiting the head office. For direct communication and feedback from employees his email would be available for suggestions and information. Besides, a strong vigilance system is also being put in place so that wrong doings may be timely checked and systems may be made efficient.
System and procedures are also underway for upgrading the passenger cabins of B-777 long haul international flights followed by the domestic flight cabins. Review of the scheduling system, rules of business for transparency and PIA pensions are also under review. Besides, lost luggage tracking system and a mobile ramp-side workshop for immediate repair of cabin are also being developed.
PIA chairman said, "It may take one year to address and resolve about 90 percent of the issues and problems being faced by the national flag carrier." Appreciating the Cockpit and Cabin Crew, PIA Chairman said "you are the best in the region", while the aircraft engineers responsible for the safety of passengers were also performing well in keeping the old fleet of the airline safe and operational and hoped that they would be teaming up to turn around the airline.
PIA Chairman Lieutenant General Asif Yasin Malik (Retd) also informed that shortly PIA fleet would be revamped with the addition of modern and younger aircrafts on lease. The aircraft are being procured with absolute transparency by a committee; the bid opening process was also witnessed by the Transparency International Pakistan.-PR