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ISLAMABAD: Arif Habib — chairman of the investment firm that headed the consortium that won the auction for a controlling stake in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (PIACL) — has said the privatisation of the national flag carrier would lead to an increase in employment in the airline as the new owners were looking to expand its business.
An Arif Habib group-led consortium had won the auction for the airline with a bid of Rs135 billion last week after a competitive process, marking the country’s first major privatisation in nearly two decades.
The investment firm‘s chairman spoke about the development on DawnNewsTV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ — televised on Monday night — where he was asked about PIA employees’ concerns, reservations and protests regarding their jobs against the backdrop of the airline’s privatisation.
In response, Habib said the “number of staff [in the airline] was reasonable”, adding that the privatisation would in fact increase employment on the whole as an expansion was planned and, therefore, more team members would be required.
