The PIA Story, Intrigue vs Excellence
(This is the FIRST of two articles on the national airline)
The job description of any airline must state that it should safely transport passengers in comfort, and cargo without being damaged and/or pilfered, on time from one location to another. An inherent ability to perform continuously over a period of time gives the airline a credible reputation and translates into more passengers and cargo. Enhanced revenues should lead to greater profits, then why is it that PIA, which shows continual growth in revenues based on captive routes like Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, fails to show corporate profits in line with the increase in its revenues? Severe politicisation of the corporate structure over the years and undue interference from influential persons has virtually destroyed the sanctity of PIA’s much vaunted corporate culture. Instead of management controlling expenditures, the expenditures have soared in increase of management personnel and its associated overheads. The professionalism inculcated into PIA’s management that had previously served it well in both tactical and strategic planning has been replaced by “spur of the moment” decisions motivated mostly out of individual interests and without an in-depth study of economic feasibility. Debilitation in the management spectrum has taken place across the board from the lowest tiers to the upper reaches of senior executive positions. The momentum of the 60s and the 70s, as well as the continued excellence of its cockpit crew and engineering support has served PIA through the 80s and taken it well into the 90s. PIA has survived many tribulations along a very turbulent route, much more so in the last 3-4 years.
