ZW News HD
Related Articles
The idea to sell off PIA has been around since the early 1990s, when the government sold about 8% of its shares.
BY Zeeshan Wali | January 2 2026
The Swiss are famous for being neutral and proud of their country. Although they come from different ethnic backgrounds, they are united by their love for Switzerland and its symbols. For many years, Swissair, the national airline, was one of these symbols.
However, Swissair started struggling in the late 1990s, and the Swiss government had to spend a lot of money to save it. But the problems continued. People who flew with Swissair back then may remember that flights were often delayed and baggage went missing. Eventually, in 2005, Lufthansa, the German national airline, bought Swissair. This meant that a strong Swiss national symbol became part of a German company.
Years later, Finland’s Nokia, a major cell phone company, was bought by America’s Microsoft. In 2022, after many rescues, Air India, the country’s airline, was sold to private owners.
Selling or privatizing national assets isn’t a hit to national pride. If a government-owned company keeps losing money, it should be sold off. This applies to the recent sale of the national airline.
PIA started as Orient Airways in 1946 by Muslim business people. When Pakistan was created, it became government-owned and was renamed Pakistan International Airlines. In 1955, PIA flew internationally and soon became a respected symbol of the nation. In 1964, it was the first airline from a non-communist country to fly to China. In the 1980s, PIA helped start Emirates, now a top global airline. PIA was also the first to buy Boeing’s 777 (200LR) plane in 2004.
A great past doesn’t ensure a good future. After a strong start, the airline faced problems: poor management, political meddling by creating jobs, frequent strikes causing delays, rising competition from Middle Eastern airlines, safety concerns leading to flight restrictions by European countries, an old fleet, and decreasing customer trust.
