RAWALPINDI: Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Tuesday briefed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about the progress pertaining to arrangements with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on outsourcing of three major airports across the country.

Mr Dar was presiding over a meeting on civil aviation at the Finance Division on Tuesday.

Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance Tariq Bajwa, aviation secretary, special secretary finance and senior officers from the finance and aviation ministries attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the legal and financial challenges being faced by the aviation authorities in the restructuring of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and deliberated upon the prospects and opportunities available in this regard.

Ishaq Dar appreciated the measures and efforts being taken for improving the aviation sector and promised to support the Aviation Division in the restructuring of PIA.

Earlier, an IFC team visited Islamabad International Airport and held a meeting with the airport management, Airport Security Force (ASF), Anti-Narcotics Force, Customs, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and airport health officials on Monday.

The IFC team’s visit to the Islamabad airport will continue till April 14. It had already visited Jinnah International Airport and Allama Iqbal international airports.

The IFC team also met representatives of PIA, Emirates and Saudi Airlines at the airport, a Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said. It will also meet ground-handling agencies and general aviation representatives at the airport.

Recently, the federal cabinet approved the outsourcing of financial advisory services to the IFC, a subsidiary of the World Bank.

A senior airport official said the purpose of the IFC team’s visit was to get first-hand information about the working of all stakeholders.

The IFC team held a meeting with aviation stakeholders, including the Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA), at the Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday.

AOOA Secretary General Mohammad Nawaz Asim discussed all concerns of the General Aviation (GA) of Pakistan, especially the spaces occupied and needed by general aviation companies, aircraft parking space and maintenance hangers.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2023