- Reuters
- 10 Hours ago
PIA’s ongoing fuel crisis: 349 flights disrupted in two weeks
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- Web Desk
- Oct 26, 2023
WEB DESK: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been compelled to cancel 349 flights in the past fortnight due to an acute fuel shortage, a situation that underscores the challenges faced by the financially struggling national carrier.
According to a spokesperson, flight cancellations since October 14 have impacted both domestic and international routes, causing significant inconvenience to passengers.
PIA issued a statement confirming that flight rescheduling is underway on a daily basis, albeit without specifying the expected duration of this crisis. Flights are being scheduled based on the availability of fuel, the statement added.
This predicament stems from an ongoing financial dispute between PIA and the Pakistan State Oil Company (PSO). PIA claims that PSO has suspended its credit line for fuel and is now demanding daily advance payments before supplying the necessary fuel.
PIA emphasised its efforts to manage funds and indicated that the return to regular flight schedules hinges on the availability of financial resources.
In a bid to keep affected travellers informed, PIA outlined its priority destinations once flight operations resume. Canada, Turkey, China, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia are expected to be among the first countries to reconnect.
However, PIA’s flights to Europe and the UK have remained suspended since 2020 following the revocation of the national carrier’s authorization by the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency due to the pilot licence scandal.
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Signs of potential resolution surfaced when Business Recorder reported that PSO restored fuel supply to 20 PIA flights for various local and international destinations after the airline made a payment of Rs84 million.
PIA disbursed this amount in two installments—Rs59 million and Rs25 million—on the same day. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar assured on Monday that the government stands ready to support PIA until the completion of the State-Owned Enterprise’s (SOE) privatisation process.
He urged relevant authorities to expedite and update him regularly on the progress of PIA’s privatisation, aligning with the government’s commitment to a fiscal discipline plan agreed upon under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout in June.