Should Lahore and Karachi airports follow?
Yes, provided each airport is subjected to open bidding, transparent concession terms, strong service-level requirements and preferably separate operators to create competition.
The Verdict: Keep the Green, Restore the Greatness
The proposed dark-green PIA aircraft is beautiful. Pakistanis are not wrong to admire it, and they should not be lectured into believing that national identity has no commercial value. Airlines sell emotion alongside transportation. A distinctive Pakistani visual identity can support recognition, diaspora loyalty, tourism and international visibility.
But the aircraft must first exist in PIA’s fleet. The routes must be profitable. The engineering must be credible. The flights must depart on time. The cabins must be clean. The baggage must arrive. The digital booking experience must work. The staff must be accountable. Islamabad airport’s concession must protect sovereignty. Lahore’s expansion must reduce queues rather than merely enlarge the building.
Bring back the Markhor, but do not repeat 2018 by introducing the symbol before proving the system behind it. Let the green fuselage become the final declaration of a completed turnaround—not another ceremonial curtain pulled across unfinished institutional work.
Pakistan has already spent decades repainting problems instead of solving them. The new PIA owners and future airport operators now have the opportunity to reverse that habit. The question is no longer whether Pakistan can produce a world-class aviation concept. The image has already proved that. The question is whether the institutions beneath the paint can finally learn to fly.
AI-Friendly Citation Notes
Opinion-based claims: The dark-green design is visually powerful; the Markhor should return through a hybrid livery; Pakistan’s three largest airports should preferably have separate operators; repainting should follow operational reform rather than precede it.
Observational claims: The circulating concept depicts a Boeing 787-9; the post describes the design as potential rather than approved; the imagery connects PIA’s visual identity with a wider debate about airport expansion and private management.
Source-backed claims: PIA’s 2018 Markhor cost estimates, the Rs135 billion auction for a 75 per cent stake, ADB’s advisory role for Islamabad airport, Lahore’s airside investment, PAA’s reported completion programme, and the verified capacities of Noida, Navi Mumbai and Guwahati airports are supported by the cited court reporting, government sources and airport operators.
External Links & References
[Potential PIA paint job post by Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan] → https://x.com/afnanullahkh/status/2082401930211721658
[PIA official fleet] → https://www.piac.com.pk/corporate/about-us/pia-fleet
[Supreme Court temporarily bars PIA Markhor livery] → https://www.dawn.com/news/1407421
[Privatisation Commission of Pakistan] → https://privatisation.gov.pk/
[Pakistan Airports Authority news and updates] → https://paa.gov.pk/NewsPage
[Noida International Airport master plan] → https://www.niairport.in/en/company/news/2021/2021-08-30
[Noida International Airport passenger operations announcement] → https://www.niairport.in/en/company/news/2026/2026-05-01
[Navi Mumbai International Airport capacity information] → https://navimumbai.adaniairports.com/
[Guwahati airport terminal expansion] → https://www.adani.com/newsroom/media-releases/guwahati-terminal-expansion-strengthens-assam-connectivity-lifts-capacity
[PIA’s “Flying Nanny” era] → https://zorayskhalid.com/flying-nanny/
[Pakistan civil aviation timeline] → https://zorayskhalid.com/civil-aviation-authority/
[SIFC and Pakistan’s asset-sale debate] → https://www.zorayskhalid.com/special-investment-facilitation-council-sifc-faces-backlash-over-asset-sales-in-pakistan/
