The government has decided to shelve plans to outsource the management and operations of Islamabad International Airport to the United Arab Emirates, after Abu Dhabi showed no interest in moving the process forward.

Instead, Islamabad International Airport will now be included in the active privatization list, following the government’s recent experience with the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines, according to official sources.

The decision was taken after repeated delays by the UAE side in nominating a company for the outsourcing arrangement.

Pakistan had issued a final call letter seeking clarity from the UAE. In response, the UAE conveyed that it was still unable to confirm a nominated entity and later indicated that it was not keen to proceed further under the proposed arrangement.

Earlier, the government had limited the scope of talks strictly to Islamabad International Airport. Several draft framework agreements were exchanged; however, progress remained stalled due to the UAE’s inability to name a participating entity.

The government has now ended talks with the UAE and is moving Islamabad International Airport to the active privatization list alongside Karachi and Lahore airports.