ISLAMABAD- The federal government has decided to extend the bid submission deadline for outsourcing of the airports in the country for another 60 days.
A decision in this regard was made at the meeting of the Steering Committee on Outsourcing of Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore Airports held under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
The participants decided to extend the deadline till May 15th, 2024 as the country director International Finance Corporation briefed the progress made on the project of outsourcing of airports.
The participants were told that multiple efforts of continuous engagement with the prospective investors have yielded positive results supplemented by the formation of the new government at center and provinces.
It was revealed that the international bidders from Qatar, UAE, Germany, Turkey, The Netherlands, Malaysia, and local consortia have requested an extension in bid submission timelines to complete their due diligence; the request was formally accepted.
During the meeting, the foreign minister also assured maximum support to the engaged investors through economic diplomacy and an expeditious process for achieving the successful outcome of this flagship project.
Ishaq Dar – who had promised that the flights to the United Kingdom UK would be resumed last year – was further briefed on the progress made so far on the matter.
The foreign minister assured diplomatic support of the Foreign Office in line with the newly adopted strategy of economic diplomacy and in the larger public interest including the Pakistani diaspora in the UK and the EU for the resumption of flights.
It is to be mentioned that Pakistan has decided to outsource three of its airports located in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. In this regard, it was announced by the previous PDM government that the Islamabad airport would be outsourced for 15 years.
During a speech in July last year, then Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique had said that the navigational services and runway operations will not be outsourced and Civil Aviation Authority will continue to do it.
Besides the airports, the government has also decided to privatize the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sought a final implementation schedule for the privatization of the carrier.
