PIA in a quagmire with flight operations in complete disorder
Business
Another 49 flights have been cancelled
LAHORE (Dunya News/Web Desk) – With another 49 flights cancelled on Thursday, the national flag carrier failed to ensure cash inflow to get its operation running as the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) awaits payment of dues and has reduced fuel supply.
At the same time, the worsening disruption of PIA's flight operations on both domestic and international means passengers are forced to look into other options, damaging its market reputation and resulting in permanent loss of customers in a crowded market.
Read more: PIA unable to fly, resulting in more flights cancellations
The latest crisis emerged Oct 14 when the airline started cancelling or delaying flights after the management couldn’t secure finances from banks [financial institutions] at a time when the federal government isn’t in a position to provide another bailout amid the current financial crunch.
Moreover, the pressure exerted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to privatise the loss-making state-owned enterprises is further complicating the situation.
IN SEARCH OF FUNDS
The PIA has cancelled 349 flights in the last two weeks due to a shortage of fuel supplies, a PIA spokesperson told Reuters, adding that flight cancellations since Oct 14 had affected both domestic and international routes.
Flights are resuming on a daily basis, the statement from the company said, without giving further details. "The flights are being scheduled as per the availability of fuel," it said.
The PIA and the PSO have been locked in a dispute over payments. The airline says the PSO has suspended its credit line for the fuel, and is now releasing supplies only against a daily advance payment.
"The PIA is trying to manage funds," the statement said, adding that the resumption of the usual schedule will depend on the availability of funds.
A $2.55 BILLION QUESTION
Earlier this month, Caretaker Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad had said the airline had accumulated over Rs713 billion ($2.55 billion) in losses as of June 2023. "We're not in a position to bear it anymore," he said.
Read more: Ethiopian Airlines and PIA: A tale of two Third World state-owned entities
Pakistan hopes to resume PIA flights to Britain in the next three months after services were suspended following a fake pilot scandal in 2020.
The PIA flights to Europe and the UK have been suspended since then after the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency revoked the national carrier's authorisation to fly to the bloc following the pilot licence scandal.
Fawad said that local aviation authorities had informed him that the European agency will likely visit Pakistan by the end of this year or early next year for a final safety review, which could lead to lifting the ban.
LATEST CANCELLED FLIGHTS
The details are given below:
Karachi-Lahore: PK-302, PK-303, PK-304, PK-305
Karachi-Quetta: PK-310, PK-311
Karachi-Sukkur: PK-536, PK-537
Karachi-Islamabad: PK-300, PK-301, PK-368, PK-369, PK-370
Karachi-Turbat: PK-536, PK-537
Karachi-Dubai: PK-208, PK-213
Karachi-Jeddah: PK-732
Islamabad-Skardu: PK-451, PK-452
Islamabad-Gilgit: PK-601, PK-602, PK-605, PK-606
Islamabad-Chitral: PK-660, PK-661
Islamabad-Multan: PK-641
Islamabad-Dubai: PK-211
Islamabad-Jeddah: PK-841
Islamabad-Abu Dhabi: PK-261, PK-262
Multan-Karachi: PK-331
Sharjah-Multan: PK-294
Faisalabad-Muscat: PK-165, PK-166
Lahore-Muscat: PK-229, PK-230
Doha-Lahore: PK-280
Dubai-Lahore: PK-204
Sialkot-Abu Dhabi: PK-177, PK-178
Sialkot-Damam: PK-243, PK-244
Dubai-Sialkot: PK-180
Peshawar-Doha: PK-285
Peshawar-Abu Dhabi: PK-217, PK-218
Jeddah-Peshawar: PK-736
