ISLAMABAD – The national carrier of Pakistan has claimed to restore flight operations to full capacity, it emerged on Thursday.
In a social media post, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) claimed to fully restore flight operations, days after the fuel crisis dent a severe blow to the carrier and to the flyers alike.
‘I’ve fallen many times, but I’ve always picked myself up again. I’m not broken. My failures do not define me, its my resolve that makes me stronger, than ever before,’ the airline said in a post.
Earlier, last month, the national carrier was forced to cancel over 300 flights after Pakistan State Oil (PSO), a state-owned entity, halted the supply of fuel to PIA over unpaid dues.
The canceled flights included the ones headed from Islamabad to local destinations like Gilgit, Quetta, Multan, and flights departing from Karachi to Sukkur and Faisalabad; moreover, international flights were also canceled.
PIA has been handling financial challenges for quite a long period of time now. The national carrier requires approximately Rs100 million daily for fuel, and the suspension of supply from PSO had severely impacted flight operations.
The caretaker government’s decision to privatize PIA, coupled with the withdrawal of interim financial support, had intensified the airline’s challenges.
Due to the same economic viability challenges, there have been demands for privatizing the national carrier. Former Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also stressed the importance of privatizing the carrier or else it would have to shut operations.
In the final days of the PDM regime, it was also decided to privatize loss-making Pakistan International Airlines during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization chaired by then Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The committee “after deliberation decided to include Pakistan International Airlines Co. Ltd. in the list of active privatization projects of the ongoing privatization program, following an amendment in the law by the Parliament,” a finance ministry statement had said.
