PIA signs on Turkish IT company to improve online booking system

E-Paper | July 28, 2026

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that HITIT Computer Services, a Turkish IT solutions company, is taking over their IT systems.

According to a PIA press release, the new IT system will improve the airline's website functionality and make online booking "swift and convenient".

Chairman and CEO PIA Muhammad Saqib Aziz said that PIA's new IT partner "will definitely bring more modernisation and convenience to our valued customers."

Aziz also said that the national carrier is making every effort to ensure that the transition from one service to the other is glitch free. PIA teams are to remain "available round the clock for smooth and swift transfer in all relevant areas of airline", the airline said.

The airline's reservations, inventory control, ticketing, check-in procedures, flight operations, scheduling, revenue management, accounting and crew management will now use HITIT' s 'crane' solutions.

According to the press release, the shift is not only cost effective but offers additional value which will "greatly help PIA in its business activity."

The national airline has requested users to be patient in case any inconvenience is caused during the system's transition.

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Ali

Sep 12, 2018 05:06pm

Very strange! Pakistan has enough IT talent and we are requesting others to build booking system. Any company or few young IT boys can develop such booking system.

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Maria

Sep 12, 2018 05:06pm

These projects should go to Pakistani IT companies to build the local industry. India is providing IT services to the entire world while we are awarding IT projects to foreign companies.

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feroze jamall

Sep 12, 2018 05:10pm

Only problem with this system is that most airlines dont use it and PK passengers will not be able to through check if it involves another airline. I hope they tested it with their code share partners if not other airlines that they had through check agreements with.

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rahim

Sep 12, 2018 05:13pm

Turkey and IT... come on guys..?

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Shahzad

Sep 12, 2018 05:14pm

What about the large IT staff on huge contractual salaries. They should be let go. PIA is now paying them to do nothing.

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Shib

Sep 12, 2018 05:15pm

@Ali the young talents will not in in a position to offer a cut.....so hire a foreign company and get some thing to out in their pockets...A very tested Modus operandi...

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Mustafa

Sep 12, 2018 05:21pm

@Ali thats an illusion.

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Shahryar Shirazi

Sep 12, 2018 05:22pm

You couldve looked inside the country. I haven't coded in a decade now, but such a system can be designed by college students with their left hand. Not sure who gets to travel to Turkey on behalf of this deal.

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Ths

Sep 12, 2018 05:23pm

Turkish airlines fly to Pakistan so this should not be allowed PIA just got worse

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Ths

Sep 12, 2018 05:25pm

Handing your IT and passenger figures data to a competitor is not sensible

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Ths

Sep 12, 2018 05:26pm

No doubt Tiurkish airlines will benefit from data

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Ali

Sep 12, 2018 05:26pm

@Mustafa you are underestimating Pakistan!

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tahir saleem

Sep 12, 2018 05:28pm

No harm in getting help from experts of the industry.

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Ali

Sep 12, 2018 05:44pm

@Shahryar Shirazi I believe both hands are needed to write a computer program.

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Zain_Sydney

Sep 12, 2018 05:47pm

I have full confidence in our local talent. I am very unhappy with this news.

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tahir saleem

Sep 12, 2018 05:52pm

No harm in getting help for industry experts.

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pakistan deserves better

Sep 12, 2018 06:19pm

Online booking is being looked into now 2018!!! I was coming back from Thailand via Karachi in 2000 on the conecting flight they had over booked 108 people. Those 108 were put up in a hotel overnight and given vouchers worth $350 each..crooks have been running PIA for a long time, they are in bed with crooked booking agents.We 1st flew with PIA in 1974 what a service it was..now just an airline going through the moves..

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Pak_UK

Sep 12, 2018 06:42pm

This should have been build in Pakistan. What a waste of talent and resources of country.

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Jawad Downunder

Sep 12, 2018 06:52pm

To all critical and proud minds, little knowledge is a dangerous thing. All applies in all walks of our lives. How many local IT technicians and companies have minimum of five to ten years of experience in developing an international airline booking system? If they have, they will not be working in Pakistan. Sure. Our arrogance and ego does not let us progress and even to see where this world has gone during our 70 years of ignorance.

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zack - chicago

Sep 12, 2018 06:59pm

I am it professional and there is nothing that Turkey can do that Pakistani IT Companies cannot do!!

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mani

Sep 12, 2018 07:00pm

@Ali Exactly. It is not a rocket science to develop a simple online mechanism

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Ali

Sep 12, 2018 07:10pm

Turkish airline web based system is horrible. It is slow and full of glitches. It is probably a cost saving measure but the quality would suffer.

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SadFaces

Sep 12, 2018 07:33pm

Sad day for PIA IT guys who have been working on old technical infrastructure for over a decade now. If they had only listened to change. PIA IT guys are good and could have improved on the system too but I guess the chairman is going on with this without assessing current resources.

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Seedoo

Sep 12, 2018 08:07pm

Why is this not being given to a Pakistani company that can use Pakistani talent? I am in the US and I use Pakistani talent to develop software for my customers, and they appreciate it.

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Fuzail Khan

Sep 12, 2018 08:58pm

On one side we are asking overseas to pour in dollars and on the other end we are spending on un-necessary foreign services and products. We must promote “Made in Pakistan” to reduce our import bills

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Jjacky

Sep 12, 2018 10:22pm

@Shib so this is naya pakistan.

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ABBY

Sep 12, 2018 11:14pm

Pakistan,Turkey and Iran(RCD) should build a strong it department. Iran has money to invest. PIA and Turkish air should merge and make a profitable business.

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saghir

Sep 13, 2018 12:20am

Contract has already been assigned to Turkish company by previous government. They are now taking over to update the system.

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Jameel

Sep 13, 2018 01:10am

I think it is important to teach PIA staff to how to provide quality service to its customers

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Javed

Sep 13, 2018 05:20am

Its sad to see how we are finding ways to destroy our talents,economy and foreign exchange. Pakistani are very experienced in IT. Just another corruption to break the PIA and show losses.

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My2cents

Sep 13, 2018 05:21am

Improving PIA online presence is great step but Pakistani local IT ecosystem should have been explored first because this is one of few areas where we have quite an impressive pool of expertise.

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Shampee

Sep 13, 2018 08:03am

This could involve huge development and buying cost. The story will not end here but after the sale, support servuces will bring huge loss to PIA. Despite all highlighted corruption, I don't know why they are not learning.

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Alpha

Sep 13, 2018 10:47am

As an IT professional with experience working in premier Silicon Valley IT giants, it is my opinion that an analog of the Crane system of Hitit Turkey could have been implemented by a Pakistani IT company in 6 months to a year. This is waste of precious Pakistani tax money. All PSE should focus on Pakistan-First policy to save precious foreign exchange and also to kickstart local companies.

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rama

Sep 14, 2018 02:27pm

@ABBY Where will you get the skill and exposure!!!!!!!!!!!!!Money does not buy everything.

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