KARACHI: The Interior Ministry on Saturday directed the FIA Immigration Department to remove the name of former acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernd Hildenbrand from the Exit Control List (ECL).
On March 15, 2017, the ministry has included the name of Hildenbrand in the ECL till the completion of an investigation of acquiring a plane from Sri Lankan Airlines at an exorbitant price of $8,000 per hours. The investigation of the plane is not completed but a source said, the ministry has allowed him to travel abroad. The foreign national PIA’s CEO has remained a controversial figure since his appointment in the airline and the country’s security agencies did not issue any NOC for Bernd Hildenbrand.
Hildenbrand has requested the Interior Ministry that he wants to visit his country, on which he was allowed to travel to his country. The statement from Interior Ministry said, “The former PIA’s acting CEO will depart for Istanbul on May 30 through a Turkish Airline wherefrom he would leave for Frankfurt (Germany).”
Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar had directed the FIA Immigration Department to include his name on ECL till the completion of the investigation of acquiring plane from Sri Lankan Airlines. Another airline had acquired the same type of plane at $4,000 per hour.
In December 2016, the former CEO was asked to stay in the country over selling a flight-worthy aircraft (A-310) of PIA’s airline to a German museum at a throwaway price.