ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s Board of Directors on Monday approved the business plan 2006-2011 in its 289th meeting held here.

The plan encompasses improved business processes and systems, and also envisages expansion of PIA’s network, whereby it would be operating in all the five continents by the end of the set period. The destinations to be added to the PIA routes include Glasgow, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne/Sydney, Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Istanbul, Zurich, Shanghai, Seoul, Almaty and Madrid/Barcelona.

The plan also envisages increase in passenger traffic at an average annual growth rate of eight per cent, and in cargo traffic at 12 per cent during the planned period.

To cope with the increase in traffic, the plan suggests incorporation of 12 Boeing 777 family aircraft, 10 new-technology turbo props, three new-generation medium-capacity aircraft, three Airbus A310 freighters and seven new-technology narrow-body aircraft.

The board members appreciated the management’s efforts in developing the business plan that aimed at improving customer services.

The meeting, presided over by PIA Chairman and CEO Tariq Kirmani, was attended by Nawid Ahsan, Dr Sughra Junejo, Asad Ali Khan, Air Marshal (retired) Pervez Akhtar Nawaz, Syed Mohammad Fazal Agha, Maj-Gen (retired) Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry, M.H.K. Khaishgi and Javed Saifullah Khan.