The government of Pakistan would likely outsource the three major airports in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federal minister announced on Saturday.
The decision was made in a meeting led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss matters related to the aviation sector.
It was decided that the government would hire reputable international operators for their distinguished services to run three major airports in the first phase.s
As per the strategy, the international hands would help run the airports for a period of 20-25 years which is expected to generate up to $300 million per annum.
The meeting also decided to engage the International Finance Corporation to provide consultancy services.
In addition to uplifting the said airports through foreign investment, the international operators would provide state-of-the-art services of international standards.
Apart from that, airport cargo handling, terminal services, storage, sanitary departments and parking will also be outsourced while the CAA will retain its airport traffic control and security management.
Earlier, the government had planned to outsource the airports to revamp Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
“The government has offered it to Qatar, perhaps the UAE will also be offered,” Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said at a press conference on Saturday.
“Anyhow, these three airports are on the radar, they should be upgraded, citizens will get the best facilities, Pakistan will get an upfront amount and foreign direct investment will come to Pakistan.”
The minister emphasized that the same model was being followed all around the globe, quoting examples of some major airports in Turkey, UK, India, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and France.
“We are trying to follow the same model in the country, which should have been done decades ago,” he said.