APROPOS Kashif Abbasi’s report “NA body wonders why PIA didn’t take advantage of open skies?” ( Feb 7, Business pages). The answer is simple: “because PIA competes with one hand tied”.

PIA stood its ground against all competing airlines until the 1970s when everything was nationalised. Merit was thrown out the window. PIA was inundated with incompetent political appointees. The downfall began.

The first blow came a little later when Gen Ziaul Haq, ever ready to please Saudi Arabia, declared PIA ‘dry’. We lost our ‘international’ first and business-class passengers, overnight. Airlines competing with PIA rejoiced. Although all of them were from Muslim countries, they continued to ‘serve’ their passengers without restrictions.

International airlines have no religion. PIA picked up passengers from every corner of the world. How could then restrictions peculiar to one religion be imposed?

The final blow to PIA came out of the blue when we introduced ‘open skies’. Our competitors were elated.

The Natinal Assembly was informed that four airlines had increased their flights to Pakistan from 130 to 230 a week.

Salam Air, a new airline of Oman, has begun flights to Multan (Feb 11). Pakistan has become a ‘free for all’. We have joined the very few countries with an ‘open skies’ policy. Why are we so liberal in throwing away our airspace?

Nevertheless , if we have to have ‘open skies’, then the same service must be allowed to PIA passengers as its competing airlines. They are all from Muslim countries like us. Why must PIA imitate only Saudia?

PIA’s hands have to be untied. If that is not possible, then we should do away with the open skies policy. There is no plausible reason for Pakistan to be so desperate about having open skies.

Capt Afaq Rizvi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2018