President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Irfan Iqbal Sheikh on Saturday invited the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to establish its sub office at the Lahore Chamber to facilitate its members.

During a meeting with PIA District Manager Saleem Ullah Khan Shahani said that facilitation centers of a number of government departments are already working at the Lahore Chamber.

Professionalism, cut in liabilities, due training of human resources and new implementation of lucrative routes can make PIA a profitable public entity. The national flag carrier is the identity of Pakistan and it must be developed on modern lines to make it an exemplary and profitable organization, he said.

He said aviation is one of the most important global industries which connects people, cultures, and business between the countries and promotes tourism industry, he said.

The airline industry is an important contributor towards economic development at global level. It has not only increased world trade activity by enabling faster and easier movement of passengers and goods, but has also provided jobs to millions of people. He said that at global level, aviation has continued to expand.

"It is a good omen that now national flag carrier is sign of improvement", the LCCI President said and added that its revenue, seat factor and reliability of schedule are getting better with every passing day but there are still many issues to overcome. He said it was good to listen that PIA has enhanced its engineering capabilities and now aircraft maintenance can be performed in more cities of the country.

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that role of national flag carrier is also most important for promoting tourism sector of Pakistan. PIA represents country all over the world and it should give a clear message to the outer world that Pakistan is peaceful and safest country for the foreigners. He said that new aircrafts should be added to the fleet of PIA and flights should be started for new destinations.

Saleem Ullah Khan Shahani said that things are moving in right directions, losses are coming down and additional flights are well on the way. He said that PIA wants strategic alliance with the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and industry.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019