Saudi’s Asyad Group eyes Pakistan airport privatisation

Business Recorder reported that Saudi Arabia's Asyad Group wants to take part in the next round of Pakistan's airport privatisation. The group is assembling Saudi and overseas partners with the technical know-how needed for possible bids. Chief executive Ghassan Ahmed Amodi raised the plan with Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb in a meeting, according to a statement read out on Thursday.

The government has started a process to outsource operations and land assets at three major airports: Jinnah International Karachi, Islamabad International and Allama Iqbal International Lahore. The stated aims are better passenger services, modernised facilities, stronger revenue potential and foreign investment through a public-private partnership model. Aurangzeb welcomed the continued Saudi interest and said new opportunities were opening up through the privatisation drive.

The meeting also covered the expansion plans of Wafi Energy Pakistan Limited, including its retail outlets, storage facilities and digital projects. The company briefed the minister on its investments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and elsewhere in the country, and on plans to grow those operations. Amodi also said the group wants to explore more investment in Pakistan, including in the financial sector. Aurangzeb cited progress on macroeconomic stability, including better readings on key economic indicators.