RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Inter­n­ational Airlines (PIA), which is cur­rently for sale, has an average of 304 employees per aircraft, the aviation division’s head told a National Assembly committee on Monday.

In a detailed briefing to the Standing Committee on Aviation, Saif Anjum, the aviation division secretary, said PIA has a fleet of 34 aircraft, of which 13 are on dry lease while the rest are owned by the airline.Currently, PIA has a workforce of 10,323 employees, of which 7,399 are regular while 2,924 are outsourced.

The committee was informed that the privatisation process of PIA is almost complete.On the performance of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), the meeting was told the regulator currently operates 22 out of 43 airports in the country, of which 13 are international.

However, the aviation regulator has been experiencing development budget constraints for several years, forcing it to use outdated equipment.The Airport Security Force (ASF) representative also complained about the lack of funds, which is why the force is compelled to use old security gadgets.

Still, the ASF representative claimed, they have been working on procuring the latest gadgets and some baggage scanning equipment have already arrived.The meeting was informed that ASF has 15,565 personnel, including 14,135 uniformed and 873 civilian staff.

Of the 43 airports located across the country, ASF is deployed at 22.The committee, which met un­­d­er the leadership of PPP MNA Na­­w­­abzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, ex­­p­ressed concerns over cracks in the aircraft parking area at Allama Iq­­bal International Airport, Lahore.

In response, the PCAA officials acknowledged the issue and said the renovation is underway.The committee also questioned the appointment of aero-medical staff and pilots’ licensing and sought a comprehensive report on these matters.

Regarding complaints about delays of private airlines and inconvenience faced by travellers, Mr Anjum said notices had been served on two private carriers, Air Blue and Air Sial, as there was no excuse to justify frequent delays.