PIA leases London’s
Heathrow slots amid ongoing flight ban
PIA (Pakistan International
Airlines) has taken a strategic step to lease out its London Heathrow slots to
other carriers for the IATA 2023 summer season.
This move comes as the UK
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) continues to blacklist all Pakistani carriers.
According to official
filings with airport slot coordinators, PIA has temporarily surrendered six
weekly slot pairs to Vietnam Airlines (VN) between April 1 and October 2023.
Additionally, ten weekly slot pairs have been leased to Kuwait Airways (KU)
between March 26 and October 22, 2023.
London Heathrow slots are
allocated on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, mandating that airlines must utilize
their slots at least 70% of the time. The CAA imposed a ban on PIA in 2020
following a pilot license forgery scandal.
By leasing its slots to
other carriers committed to using them, PIA is complying with the terms of its
slot contract.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan
Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) informed the National Assembly Standing
Committee on Aviation that it plans to outsource the operations and management
of Islamabad International, Lahore International, and Karachi International
airports. This strategic move is aimed at bringing much-needed hard currency
into Pakistan.
Pakistan's finance
minister, Ishaq Dar, recently conveyed his hopes that the new airport operators
will introduce efficiency improvements and enhance safety records at these
airports. The plan is to run the airports through a public-private partnership
model.
Dar has been proactive in
pushing forward the outsourcing program, expressing his desire to have a deal
finalized for Islamabad International Airport by August 12. He is also working
to expedite amendments to Pakistan's civil aviation laws and a restructuring
plan for PIA by the end of July. He believes that achieving these targets will
facilitate on-the-ground assessments of PIA operational processes and
procedures by regulators from the European Union, United States, and United
Kingdom as early as August. This, in turn, could pave the way for the
resumption of flights to these jurisdictions.
Source: https://www.ch-aviation.com/