The government has decided to delay the financial bidding for the privatisation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) until October 31, sources said.
According to the sources, low bidder interest and unresolved issues have been cited as reasons behind the delay.
Previously, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation had disclosed that the privatisation process was extended to October 1. But the process has been delayed once again — this time, by a month.
The sources added that the delay may have resulted from issues including unresolved court cases, fleet ageing and civil aviation issues.
This change in plans comes after Usman Bajwa, secretary of the Privatisation Commission, earlier this week, informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation that the final bid documents were shared with six pre-qualified bidders.
The six consortia that were pre-qualified to bid for a 60% stake in PIA, include:
Fly Jinnah Limited
Air Blue Limited
Arif Habib Corporation Limited
A consortium led by YB Holdings (Private) Limited
A consortium led by Pak Ethanol
A consortium led by Blue World City
