PIA privatisation bidding delayed till October 31

The financial bidding for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been postponed for a month, until October 31, sources said on Friday. 

According to the sources, the development came after the low bid and unresolved cases in court.

Earlier, the National Assembly announced that the bidding would be delayed until October 1, but according to the sources, the authorities further extended the date of bidding.

Last week, Secretary of Privatisation Commission Usman Bajwa said that the bid documents were prepared and shared with the six pre-qualifiers, including Fly Jinnah, Air Blue Limited, Arif Habib Corporation Limited, a consortium led by YB Holdings (Private) Limited, a consortium led by Pak Ethanol, and a consortium led by Blue World City. 

He added that the final bid documents were uploaded to the virtual data room on September 18.

Previously, the government had said that Turkish Airlines showed their interest in PIA’s bidding; however, it was dismissed by the international company.

On the other hand, the European Union’s ban on PIA is another concern for the bidders, but CEO Amir Hayat expressed hope of ending the ban soon.

According to Hayat, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency would lift the ban by the end of this year.