The PIA Chairman Asif Yasin Malik said that new management has taken over airline at a critical point whose agenda is to turnaround airline.

While addressing to PIA officers and staff on Thursday at the PIA Training Centre Auditorium in connection with the management’s commitment to change face of airline by April 2013, he categorically informed employees that none of them would be sacked from airline as per policy. However, strict action may be in place on disciplinary grounds, dereliction of duty will not be allowed and an average employee will have to show at least 80pc efficiency within his sphere of work.

Chairman emphasised that present management was undertaking various studies to ensure efficient savings, career planning for the growth of employees on merit, ways for improving benefits for employees, pension policy and staff uniform so that right man should be placed at the right job to improve the performance of airline.

He said that PIA staff were the biggest strength of management even in difficult situations it is the employees of the corporation which have kept airline running and was able to conduct one of the best Haj operations in 2012 which has been acknowledge by not only people in Pakistan but also by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and PIA was determined best among 72 international airlines operating from Jeddah.

He further informed that under PIA Revival Plan each operational area and department is under study and soon major decisions would be in place to obtain greater potential needed for the turnaround of the airline.

He informed that acquiring aircraft on dry lease is being done in complete transparency and under independent observers to achieve the best in the shortest possible time for improving the PIA fleet.

New destinations would be added, some of the closed destinations would be reopened and the PIA Cargo Services would be modernised.He said that since PIA is the national flag carrier, he would ensure that with the collective efforts of all PIA employees this airline keeps flying higher and higher.