Pakistan’s government has extended a deadline for expressions of interest in purchasing Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to June 19, 2025, extending the original deadline by 16 days.
The country’s privatisation ministry did not give a reason as to why this deadline has been extended from June 3, 2025.
In April a fresh attempt to shift government ownership of the carrier was launched, the country's privatisation commission said that it would take new bids for a majority stake in the airline, with interested parties able to acquire up to 100% of the Pakistani carrier.
The commission officially gave the go-ahead for a new attempt to sell or transfer ownership of PIA to private investors in Match, following an attempt to privatise the airline in October of last year, when a sole bidder offered below the minimum expectations of the commission.
This bid to privatise the airline follows its first annual profit in over two decades, achieving an operating profit of 9.3bn Pakistani Rupees ($33.1 million) and a net profit of 26.2bn Pakistani Rupees ($93.2 million).