The government has no plan to privatize any of the assets of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the National Assembly was informed on Friday.

As per Radio Pakistan, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan told the house during the question hour session that efforts are underway to improve the financial health of the airline by reducing its losses through various means.

He said routes that were bearing loss have been closed and flights on profitable routes have been added which has resulted in a reduction of losses.

On a query, the Aviation Minister informed that 82 pilots have been dismissed so far for acquiring the licenses through unfair means. He said a transparent mechanism has now been evolved to ensure the issuance of licenses in a transparent manner. An agreement to this effect has also been signed with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

When inquired about the travel restrictions impose on the national air carrier, Sarwar said that the International Civil Aviation Authority will carry out an audit of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority in July. He was optimistic that the audit will lead to the removal of travel restrictions on the PIA in the European countries.