KARACHI: Air Marshal (Rtd) M. Nur Khan yesterday [Nov 28] pledged to “restore the normal health of Pakistan International Airlines within the next six months”, and announced that DC-10 will be operational as scheduled from April next. The newly appointed Chairman of PIA stated that the state of affairs in the national airline had deteriorated to a perilous degree which would have brought it soon to a grinding halt, but for the corrective measures being introduced now.

At his first Press conference after taking over as the PIA chief, he categorised the exodus of 23 very senior pilots as the “greatest blow” that the Airlines had to suffer in recent years. He said that the Prime Minister had stated … that “the Airlines was rolling to the brink of collapse if we did not bring radical changes. … .” The Prime Minister further stated that “at one time PIA was famous for its punctuality; now it is infamous for its delays.” He also referred to the unhygienic conditions of the toilets and of the aisles and of the food. … Mr Nur Khan said the steep fall … had taken place because of “the sickness in the (Airlines) head office.”

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2023