PIA offers discount to ICCI members on flights

Islamabad:Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Air Marshal (r) Arshad Malik on Monday said the airline was offering 10 percent discount to ICCI members and their immediate families on domestic and international flights.

The CEO visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) along with his team and inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, president ICCI.

Addressing the business community Air Marshal Arshad Malik said PIA was now focusing on corporate customers for business generation and signing of MoU with ICCI was part of such efforts.

He said with the improvement in airline’s financials, PIA would consider offering up to 25 percent discount to ICCI members. He said the business community should facilitate PIA in improving its cargo business.

He said PIA was ready to dedicate aircrafts for cargo flights if private sector supported it with more business volume. He said PIA would soon start direct flight to Baku from Lahore and to Uzbekistan from March this year.

Air Marshal Arshad Malik said PIA was a very challenging organization, but he was determined to address its challenges. He said PIA in the past was not given commercial sense, but now with the efforts of his professional team, PIA has been put back on track.

He said PIA HQ was not being shifted, rather there was a shift in its business model as 70 percent commercial activity was now biased towards north and south regions due to which PIA was focusing on these regions for business promotion.

Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan appreciated the initiatives of Air Marshal Arshad Khan for bringing crucial reforms in PIA to revive its old glory. He said many areas of Pakistan including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas have great potential for tourism and said PIA should start flights to Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit Baltistan and other destinations to promote tourism.

He thanked CEO PIA for offering discount to ICCI members and hoped that it would be helpful in exploring new markets for promoting business interests of Pakistan.

By signing the MoU, PIA has agreed to offer discount to ICCI members and their immediate family members on Economy and Economy Plus on its flights for international and domestic sectors. The discount would be offered on request from ICCI secretariat letterhead with production of valid ICCI Membership Card by the Members.